A King of Infinite Space
by Imogen74
Summary: Loki goes to Hel to retrieve a golden apple for Jane. Mythology loosely employed. Sequel to "Moonbeams". Prompt fill for odinsdatter9, who is a treasure. (author reserves the right to change the rating later...for now, T. T for Thor, for terrific, for tenacious...oh, how I could go on...). Lokane.
1. Chapter 1

_Title borrowed from Hamlet, wherein the Prince of Denmark laments the smallness of Denmark, that he longs to be in the great expanse of the world, but is tethered to Denmark and all of her many woes. _

_Though Loki's journey is less a quest for truth, more a quest of self discovery, along with Jane, he learns in this tale to be more than simply a King of Asgard…more than what he had imagined his reign to be, and less, too. So Loki Odinson, in this story, will grow as a King in many ways, conquering much, not least of which, himself. _

Somewhere in between the black of space and the tenebrous cloak of night a quiet whisper emerged, suggestive in tenor, and tickled her neck with it's breath.

_You will grow old and die._

And what of it? Everyone does. Jane Foster dismissed it on the balcony of her lover, the King. Loki took little sleep, less food, but remained attentive to her still. His love was her constant, and she cherished it above all else.

But a weight in the weeks following his and Thor's ascension to the throne had grown. He was insistent that he obtain one of Iduna's apples so that Jane could remain with him for many hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. It would be a harrowing journey, one that he would take alone, and Jane was fraught with anguish at the thought of him putting himself in danger.

Yet in her quiet, she began to think herself a very selfish creature. Were her wants more important than his? Did he somehow matter to her more than she did to him? He was King, she noted. That in and of itself carried with it great importance, and made his life more precious, if only quantitatively; more people desired his well being than her's…he was a King. But, Jane reminded herself, he had done much to prove himself, and perseverated on the fact that he was not willing to live without her. Dramatic, to be sure, a bit Shakespearean a la Romeo and Juliet, but there it was.

She re-entered the room and went to dress. Loki was long gone, his meetings and councils took him away quite early. He insisted this was a temporary thing, that it would last but a week or so longer, and then he shall set out to Hel for an apple.

He's suggesting he go to Hel, and an image of Dante's Inferno blinked before her eyes…though everyone was insistent that it was really nothing like that, Jane couldn't stave off the thought. Loki would descend to a netherworld of fire and lava, and Jane would stay here in Asgard, where light and music and soft air pervaded. It was not to be born.

What if…

What if she had Thor and Sif train her? What if she, Jane, became a warrior like Sif? Loki would need not go alone, she might even be able to help. She had a few weeks…what if that was her condition? What if she said to him, fine, go. But I'm going with you…? That way she would know what was happening, she would not stay here and suffer, she could go and…and…

Not be alone. Not be left behind, as she had been her entire life.

Selfish, selfish wretch, Jane despaired.

The thought of being trained in combat was attractive, though. After all, Sif was, and if this plan was to work, Jane and her would be Queens together. If she never learned, she would be the only reigning monarch who didn't know how to fight.

Reigning monarch. Jesus.

Jane churned these ideas over and over in her head, convincing herself that this was the path to take. This was the answer to the dilemma which poisoned her mind and ate at her soul. This would be her bargaining chip to play when she confronted Loki.

Jane sighed, and brushed her fingers over the violet gem which hung at her breast. She seldom took it off, for she felt quite naked in its absence. Only when she went to bed did she divest it from her person.

Loki's sorrow and love manifested physically in utter beauty and pricelessness. She smiled. Never had anything so completely beautiful been wrought from such misery.

Jane turned toward the bed before she left the room for breakfast. She never slept in it without him…she would fall asleep in the oddest of places…recalling it began on her brief return to Earth, sleeping on her sofa, not in her bed. And since, in the garden, in the chair…exhaustion would overtake her, and she would collapse. But it was more than that…the thought of taking her sleep in bed without him was somehow strangely abhorrent to her mind. He had become her peace, and his presence necessary for her to enjoy it.

She would have no peace without him - how could he go without her?

He wouldn't, she decided. Her mind firm, her resolve undeterred. This would be her bargain, and Loki would either accept it or not go on this ridiculous journey.

* * *

Jane made her way down to the dining area (she had mastered a few paths among the castle), and saw Sif already eating. The Kings were not there.

"Morning, Sif," Jane smiled.

"Lady Jane," she replied, a hint of nerves in her voice.

Jane recalled herself. "Oh! Is today the day?" Sif was to accept the crown that day, and it slipped Jane's mind in her reverie.

"It is," Sif played with the food on her plate.

Jane smiled. "Are you nervous?"

Eyes shot up in a defensive glare. "I am not. I'm just…well. I'm distracted. I cannot think of what to say as an acceptance of the crown."

"Oh, is that all? I can help that…" and then Jane thought a moment. "You know, Sif, we might be able to help each other."

"How?" Sif appeared to be intrigued.

"Well…you're a warrior…and I can express myself fairly easily…as can you, by the way…but I can't fight. Maybe we could tutor one another?" Jane smirked hopefully.

"You wish to learn how to fight?"

"Very much."

Sif looked crookedly at her interlocutor. "Why?"

Should she be forthright? It wouldn't do to be deceptive, not when she was looking for help. "Well, I mean to go with Loki to Hel, and it's best I learn how to protect and defend myself."

A blank stare. And then SIf burst into laughter. "You?! Does the King know?"

Jane pouted at the reaction, and took a sip of what could only be described as a sort of coffee. "No. But I will tell him…"

"Tell me what?" Thor entered, Loki following in his wake.

"There are two Kings, brother, and if you apply logic to the situation, you'll see that the likelihood of Jane wanting to discuss anything with your majesty is quite low," Loki observed.

"Loki, if you shut up as often as I told you to, you'd never speak."

"And if I listened to you at all, I'd likely be dead," and Loki sat next to Jane.

She laughed at him, and turned to face him completely. No use in waffling, and Thor and Sif would be integral to her plan being a success. "Loki…" she began.

He leaned into her, and brushed his lips across hers. "Yeesss?" he purred.

Jane returned the kiss, but pulled away. She cleared her throat. "I want Sif and Thor to teach me combat so that when you descend to the netherworld I can go with you and be of some use and not be completely hopeless and be able to fight and defend myself and maybe even be able to help you." Wow. That was a lot of words in one sentence without pause.

Thor began to clap.

Sif laughed.

Loki glared. "What." There was no lilt, it wasn't a question.

"Do I need to say all of that again?" Jane asked.

No response.

She sighed, "I want to learn…"

"Stop," said Loki, putting his hand up. "You are most certainly not going to do any such thing. What gives you the idea that this is, in any way, good? You are mortal, fragile, you'll die," he was being indelicate.

"I think its a fine idea," observed Thor.

"You would," replied Loki. "Make mention of a fight, and you come scampering in, drooling like a dog."

"Why shouldn't the lady be trained? This is as much about her as about anyone…much more so, actually."

"Because, your Highness," sarcasm fell from his Loki's lips. "The very point of this is that she won't die…until Jane is an Aesir, she shall not learn to fight."

"Um," Jane began. "Look, I understand…maybe you could teach me too, Loki. Maybe I can learn all about Hel, and what I'll be facing…and you can teach me some combat, too…but I am not about to waver here," and she took his hand, and looked at him steadily. "This is my resolve. Either I go with you, or neither of us do."

Loki swallowed. "You are challenging me?"

Well, not exactly, Jane thought. "Yes."

A thin smiled crept along the corners of his mouth, and he looked her up and down, dissecting her with his eyes. "I like it," he said, breathlessly.

"Ok…are we done here, Sif?" Thor getting up, sensing an intimate moment approaching. "We should prepare for your crowning this evening…Jane," he turned toward her, snapping Jane out of her trance. "I think tomorrow we should start. See you later, brother," he shook his head, and left with his wife.

* * *

"There are many things you should understand, Jane," Loki was pacing their bedchamber in a frantic manner. "You may very well be putting me at risk, for Iðunn and I have a less than amicable history…"

"What happened?" Jane asked, watching him prowl along the path he had assumed in his state.

"She claims I tricked her and stole her apples."

"Did you?"

He stopped and looked at her. "Well…that's a very rough way to put it."

"Then put it more delicately," Jane smiled.

"I…" he began. "Odin desired the apples for Asgard…he was going to retrieve the tree himself, but that didn't go quite to plan. In my desire to win favor, I went to Iðunn, and lured her out of her garden by conjuring an image of a young child lost…I cloaked myself in invisibility, but she discovered before I could obtain the tree. I only managed a few apples," he shrugged. "She was not pleased, and we fought."

"Who won?"

He smirked. "I did."

"Oh."

He went to her and knelt before her. "You understand I am doing this to spare myself the pain of watching you age and die…to assure that I will not need to suffer many centuries in your absence. I am selfish, love…this is for me, not you."

"Don't turn this around. I am going with you, Loki."

He growled and stood. "There is nothing I can say to deter you? Nothing that will convince you that this is a silly, foolish, ridiculous, dangerous, and generally very bad idea?"

"You just made me want to do it even more," and she laughed.

"Silly mortal. You have no idea what you are in for."

"Ah hah! I win!" Jane stood and went to him.

"You claim victory, do you…"

"I do! We can begin studying now…oh, this is exciting…" she went to his bookshelves and began pulling books from the shelves in a frenzy.

And Loki watched her, smiling. She was so innocent, so full of vigor, so lovely in her tiny win…and he would need to assume the burden of keeping her safe in Hel. How in the name of Odin was he to manage that? To steal an apple would be task enough, not one that many would attempt…but to have the added burden of keeping her safe, Jane must be safe, above all else, would be trying.

It warmed him to his core that she wanted to go. That she loved him as much as he revered, worshipped, adored, loved her…and he knew her, which meant that if he didn't acquiesce, she would sneak into the underworld, putting herself at such risk he would lose her forever.

He shivered. He went to her.

He sat in the green chair opposite her, smiled, and picked up a volume. "We shall begin here…"


	2. Chapter 2

"There are many accounts of the realm Helheim...constant war, black gates, the Náir in steadfast yearning, forever grasping for that which eludes them," Loki had begun, and had already spoken for an hour or so. He was referencing the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, the Gylfaginning, and the Gesta Danorum. Books littered the table, falling in his lap as he sat, ponderously thinking about what Hel meant...what it would mean to Jane. "None of these accounts are correct, but none of them are wholly wrong."

Jane doubtfully looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means that yes, Náir yearn in their torment, that yes, creatures such as Heiptir and Vanar-Drekar exist as deterrents and horror. But more importantly, Helheim is tailored to each soul. Some of it is quite beautiful...such as the orchard with the golden apples," said Loki.

Jane's face scrunched in confusion. "So...it's different for everyone?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Jane's hands rubbed her face, "How am I supposed to prepare for that? I could face anything!"

Loki shrugged, "Not entirely...there are certain things which are constant. Hel keeps Helheim...then there are those things I've already mentioned..." his eyes lowered. "And the Garm, and Jormungand..." and he shivered.

Jane marveled at his perfect pronunciation, but noted the change in his demeanor. "The what?"

He looked up, pain in his eyes. "A hound and the sea serpent...a snake so large and venomous that no one can withstand its poison without going mad."

"A snake..." and Jane recalled her dream...Loki, strung to a stone wall, a huge snake hanging around him...

He nodded. "I faced it...the Jormungand, briefly last time..." he hung his head. "But, perhaps I'll see only the beauty on this quest...there is beauty to be found there..."

She stared blankly at him. "You faced it? How? What happened?"

"I stunned the great thing. I barely escaped..." his fingers folded in his lap as he studied her.

Jane shook her head, "No. No. No. You're not going, this is absurd! I'll just...you know...have fifty years here or so like normal people."

He smirked. "This is not a matter for debate, love."

"But...!"

"Not another word. Go prepare yourself for Sif's crowning," and he got up, magically cleaning up the mess of books.

She sighed. "And what about you?" She went over to him, winding her arms around his waist.

"I'll be preparing as well...but I understand you struck a bargain with our Princess, and she will be awaiting your counsel."

Jane nodded, placing a kiss to his mouth.

She changed her clothes and left for the other royal chambers.

Jane knocked in the enormous door softly. "Sif?"

No answer. She went in. "Sif...?

There she was, her hands running through her raven locks. "What's wrong?" Jane asked, approaching her.

"Oh, my lady! I'm in such a state! What am I going to say?"

Jane laughed and took her hand. "Tell me how you feel about Asgard"

"Asgard is my heart..."

Jane nodded. "And what do you think of when you think of being Queen?"

"Retching."

Jane smiled. "Hmmm...I wish Loki were here. He's the wordsmith."

Sif shook her head. "The Kings cannot know my sacred vow...it needs to come from me..."

"Oh. Well...lemme think."

Jane bent her head and took a pen and paper. She began to write...

"_Dearest Asgard, I am honored and moved to be here before you. I hold you close to my heart, and as long as there is breath in my body, I swear to honor and defend you in all that is right." _ Jane paused_. "_How's that, Sif?"

She smiled widely at Jane, taking her hand. It was simple and straightforward, Sif had been trying too hard to be overly eloquent. "Perfect! You and the King DO have a lot in common!"

Jane smiled, patted her hand, and left for the Throne Room.

* * *

The lady went to the hall, one of the last to arrive. They had made certain that she had a place close to the front, but not directly in front...many leaders from various realms were present. Jane felt small and out of place.

As soon as Frigga's crown was placed on her head, Thor seized her quick and kissed her passionately. The company present stood and cheered. Asgard had her Queen.

Once more, Jane was unsure what to do. Loki had left with Thor and Sif, and everyone was exiting the hall to the enormous room where the wedding reception was held a few weeks previous. Jane followed the mass, and noted the difference between the Kings' crowning and the Queen's. She guessed it was the small matter of Odin's death not tampering the festive mood.

The new monarch was soon brought in and was seen sitting next to her King, already eager and liberal with his drink. Jane smiled and went to obtain a glass of wine herself. She turned, and music played out, the Aesir took to the golden floor in jubilant celebration.

Her eyes took in the scene with a sort of awestruck wonder. She believed that she'd never would get used to all of this...the joy, the light, the perfume of the place...sweet, nearly drunk with aroma, it assaulted her senses.

"How is it possible that though I've known you quite intimately, you hold me in fast fascination..." Loki was at her back, whispering in her ear. "Whatever are you thinking about? Your face contorts, yet is simultaneously peaceful in thought...?"

She leaned against him, her back at his front. "I was thinking about the heaviness of the scents in the hall...and how I should like to be back in your garden, looking at the stars...kissing you, and holding you close..."

His face bent toward her ear, "That is a fantastic notion...but I thought we might dance first...I've not yet had the pleasure."

"Um...no. Not a dancer."

He turned her to face him. "What do you mean? Not a dancer? We must see to that immediately."

Jane laughed. "Ask someone else. Loki. It's not my thing." She rather imagined him to be a very good dancer, and wasn't quite ready to be utterly embarrassed by her rudimentary skills.

He stepped back a touch, looked at her crookedly. "We shall see..." He paused. "Did you compose the whole of the Queen's acceptance?"

"I did," Jane replied defensively.

He nodded. "Queen Sif possesses many fine attributes. Manipulation of words is not among them. She never knows when to stop, how to begin, what to omit, or when to press on."

"In stark opposition to you, perhaps, but a suitable companion for Thor."

He smirked. "Come, love...let's away from this stifling hall..."

And the lovers left, making way to the King's chamber, and Loki slept in Jane's arms until sunrise...the most restful night he had enjoyed in some time.

* * *

Her back hit the ground hard, and it felt as though something cracked. Shit. Please don't let my back be broken...no...I'd not be able to feel anything...and she wretched herself up into a squat, stretching her back muscles in the process.

"Dear Jane," began Thor. "I am already going easy on you..." and he laughed.

"Truly Thor...she's doing quite well. Think of where she started at two days ago," Sif observed, giving Jane a hand up to standing.

"Don't go easy on me..." Jane protested, and immediately and with force began to fence the King in the practice circle. Her face stiff in concentration, her brow trickling with beads of sweat.

Her stance was a bit off, but her technique was impressive for such a novice. It was her stance which was her Achilles heel, and threw her off balance.

They danced their violence throughout the enclosure, Sif yelling advice to Jane as she battled the King.

He cornered her, had her desperate in her fight...his strength was something, and Jane began to falter. She moaned her exasperation, and fell once more, Thor's dull practice blade at her chest.

"Harm her brother, and I'll not be held responsible for my actions..." Loki was approaching.

"It's a dull blade, Loki."

Loki turned toward Sif, "Apologies, sister. How unfortunate to have a husband with a dull blade."

"Shut up Loki," said Thor and Sif in unison.

He laughed heartily. "So Jane, how is your training in combat progressing?" He went over to her and helped her up as she laughed.

"Well...I've been on my back more than I care to admit."

"Is that so? I can attest to that fact as well..." and Loki winked. "And are you teaching her only to fight? What about defensive strategies? Offensive movement?" He was looking at Thor.

"Well, it's a bit all-encompassing, isn't it?" Thor rested the sword on the ground, and went to have a drink.

"Certainly not," Loki protested. "Combat is not merely, "whoever hits the hardest wins"...it's outwitting your opponent...it's formulating a plan...all in seconds."

"But a mighty blow is advantageous, and would negate any thought on the subject," replied Thor.

"A sad commentary on your life as a whole, dear brother," he smirked.

Jane laughed. "Why don't you show me, Loki?"

"Show you? You mean you wish to engage me in a fight?" Loki looked at her.

Jane assumed the stance Sig had shown her. "Afraid?"

"Jane, Loki is much more formidable than he appears to be...even without his magic. That is one of the advantages he has over me..." Thor explained. "Opponents underestimate him. Sadly, I seldom have that issue."

"Just so, Thor. Your reputation precedes you. You smash, they scatter," Loki was looking at Jane, however, and he picked up Thor's practice blade. "First and foremost Jane, all war is deception. You should appear weak when you are strong, strong when you are weak. The best battle won is when there is no fighting..." he was examining the blade, moving it through the air in swift motion. "And perhaps most importantly, the most advantageous opportunities are found in the midst of chaos..." and he struck her blade hard.

It startled her, but recovered quickly. And he assumed an offensive stance, pushing her backwards, Jane trying to keep up...but she did, and soon had him in defensive mode, a smile played at her lips.

They performed their dance along the green, but Jane's hold grew weak...and before she knew it, his sword turned around in a swift movement, tearing her's from her grasp, and she was pinned against the stone wall...his sword against her chest, his other hand held her right arm, his knees locked against her thighs, his face inches from hers.

"It appears you are caught, Jane," and he smiled into her mouth.

Jane kissed him soundly, and in his distraction, pushed him with all of her might, grabbing his sword, and knocked him to his back. She was breathing hard, the blade's tip at his throat.

He laughed, then stopped, and darkness fell over his countenance. "Are you as aroused as I am?"

"More," she breathed.

"Well, Jane, if you kiss your opponent, you shall no doubt be victorious over them," observed Thor, taking Sif's hand and leaving the arena.

The lovers laughed, and went inside to ready for dinner.

* * *

Jane was on her stomach, naked, as Loki tended to the bruises on her back.

"You are positively blue..." his fingers traced an inch over her skin, green light grazing the injuries softly. The tones disappeared under the work of the magic.

"You're blue, aren't you?" Jane asked innocently.

He stopped. "What do you mean?"

She turned toward him, and rested her head on her hand. "I mean, you're a Frost Giant, and they are blue."

His face hardened and he got up. He began changing from his day wear.

"Loki?"

"I don't wish to discuss it," he said flatly.

She sat up. "Why not?"

"Because it's not something I care to dwell on, at least not any longer. For too long it was the source of my torment, and if I think on it at all, I become angry and despondent."

"But...it's you! It's...who you are..."

He turned toward her, his eyes flashing. "Don't say that, not ever again. It is not me...I am no monster."

She shrunk a bit. "Loki...you're not a monster...but to deny your heritage, it's..."

His hands rubbed his face in frustrated energy. "I have abandoned that 'heritage' as you've termed it in favor of an Aesir as Odin desired...since Odin was always right and noble in his intentions..." he was sarcastic, and sounded wounded.

Jane swallowed. She knew that the subject was sore, but had no idea it still bled. "I'm sorry..."

"Do not apologize!" He was desperate. "It's Odin's burden. He was the one who brought the monstrous to Asgard...he was the one who deceived..." He stopped. "And I forgave him," and he left.

Jane was confused, and she twisted the blanket on the bed in distraction. Oh my, he still hurt from it all.

She got up and went to the balcony. She would give him some time, and if he didn't return in an hour or so, she'd go looking for him.

And there he was, as she knew he would be, in his garden, staring upwards.

Jane walked over to him, and placed her hands on his back, rubbing him softly. "I don't care, you know..."

"You should."

"I don't."

He sighed deeply. "I do."

"I know...but as you said, it's not you," Jane began. "You are lovely, you are brilliant, and strong, and kind...and I am so in love with you I can't see straight."

"Exactly. You can't see, Jane. And if you saw, you'd run," Loki said with sadness echoing in every word.

She made him face her. "I wouldn't. I never will. I don't care if your skin is blue, red, black, or the alabaster I see before me. It's your soul that I love. Your essence that fills me...your exterior, though wonderful, is hardly what matters."

He touched her face. "I think I believe you."

"I have no reason to lie," and she pulled him close, kissing him in the starlight.

She led him back to the room, where he continued his labor on her injuries, and kissed where each of them held their angry blush.


	3. Chapter 3

And so it progressed, Jane training in combat with Sif and Thor, and studying with Loki. The two Kings were finally settling into their respective roles, and Thor was anxious to get on with things, though he couldn't until Loki's safe return from Helheim. Asgard needed a King, and if Loki would die during this quest, Thor would need to be present to see to things.

An unattractive prospect, but within possible scenarios.

Loki had been discussing matters with dignitaries from Anaheim, a tedious business, but one which needed doing, and one of the many tasks Thor was less than interested in seeing to. Loki did not mind fulfilling these assignments. He was good at them, and felt proud at his success.

He was in the library, reading in solitude after many hours at counsel.

Thor came in, sweaty and flushed from dueling with Jane.

"Loki! Your love is progressing nicely. She has mastered all weaponry. She only needs to maintain her balance...she...falls too much," and Thor sat opposite him.

Loki looked up from his book. "She falls too much? That's hardly good. See to it, Thor," and he waved his hand absently.

Thor laughed. "You'll merely need to keep close watch. There's not much more I can do."

"Have her fight on a beam, slightly raised from the ground. Really Thor, how many combatants have you trained?" And he returned to his book.

Thor had a bemused look on his face. "I'll do that, brother." He sat back. "And when do you leave?"

Without looking up, "Two days time."

"And how long do you expect to be gone?"

"It generally takes a week of travel to arrive at the garden, but I imagine a few days..."

Thor nodded. "When should I set out for you? At what point should I say, "They've been gone too long?" I'll bring Fandral..."

"Do you doubt my ability to be successful?" He was looking at him again.

Thor laughed. "No. But I should prepare for the worst."

Loki nodded. "At the point of ten days. Just to be certain..."

"Very well," Thor paused. "It is interesting, is it not, the way in which this all unfolded?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I was ready to marry Jane. And here you are, and me...and we are both Kings..."

Loki laughed. "The fact that the two of us are Kings, ruling together, is indeed, shocking," he looked at Thor. "But as for Jane, it makes no sense to me that any other outcome was ever possible, so I cannot think it strange."

The thunder god smiled. "You are well suited. I cannot believe I never saw it ...but I rather think she reminded me of you, which is why I was so taken."

"You'll make me blush, Thor. Taken by a lady because she reminds you of me? Touching."

"I'd dearly love to see a blush on that pallid face," the jibe was effective, in no small part because Thor so seldom successfully got Loki.

Loki cocked his head. "Well done, brother. I applaud you. The Kingship has done much for your abilities in witty responses. I'm certain that will aid you in the field of battle which you love so dearly."

Thor ignored that. "You love her very much."

"I do."

He shook his head. "I cannot believe it. I never would have imagined you so taken."

"Can you not? I am a passionate sort, brother. Would not that translate to romantic love? Is love not the very thing which inspires such tumultuous feeling? Such harrowing reflection? If I can feel profound anger, insistent hatred, limitless ambition...does it not make sense that I would feel blinding love?" He paused and looked away. "I loved mother with everything that I am."

"Frigga was very close with you. She loved you."

Loki nodded, but did not respond.

Thor got up. "Well, Loki. This was...not fun...but interesting. I'll get myself ready for dinner."

"I'm so glad that you feel the need to intimate me with your every intention, Thor. Truly, how would I get on if I did not know when you ate, when you slept, or when you have a thought in your head which involves anything but your hammer? Hang on..." Loki held up a finger. "THAT'S why you never divulge what you are thinking...because I already know..."

* * *

Jane was pouring over the multitudinous books in her chamber. She took notes. She was steadfast and serious, and she had ice on her back, so she was leaning forward.

"So, my small sparrow...you study with intent, as you do everything," Loki said, approaching her.

Jane nodded, not looking up. "It's an overwhelming thought, and I want to be prepared."

"You should stay here."

At this, she looked at him. "So should you."

He smirked and sat next to her in deliberate attitude. "That is not possible."

"No," and she returned.

He laughed and looked at the ice strapped to her back. "You have fallen much, I understand. Shall I aid in your healing?" He began to remove the pack.

"No...I need to do this. We are leaving soon, and I should really stay on task."

He pouted a touch. "Jane...we should discuss the possibilities of what may happen..."

"Such as?"

"Well...in case we are separated...in case you get hurt...in case Iðunn argues and decides to fight..."

Jane looked at him, a bit of shock gracing her face. "That is what I am preparing for."

Loki nodded. "Thor and Fandrall will come for us if we do not return after ten days, but you should know that I will send you away should we find ourselves in a desperate situation."

"What do you mean?"

He cleared his throat. "I mean...I will transport you to Asgard for help and safety should the need arise."

She stood. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare do that! What's the point of all of this?! I mean to go to help! And for what? So that you can send me away as soon as it becomes dangerous!"

Loki stood. "That is exactly what I will do. You may not realize this, Jane, but no matter how much you think you are prepared, you are not. Your presence may be more of a hindrance than anything, and sending you back may be the only way to ensure both of our safety."

Jane shook with anger and frustration, and began to cry. "I don't believe this! What the hell have I been doing! Staying up studying like some college student, getting my ass beaten by the god of thunder! For what? To be sent home like a disobedient child when things get tough!"

"Jane..."

"No! You've treated me like an idiot. You have pacified me with your false instruction. You never meant for me to stay long. It was always your plan to have me go for a couple of harmless days, and then send me back," she turned away and went outside to the balcony.

Loki's hands tightened to a fist, as he looked at her leave. He left the room downtrodden.

* * *

Her eyes were steaming. Jane rubbed her face and heaved. Was she putting him in danger by going? If so, how could she go? If she was truly going to be a hindrance as Loki put it, how could she go with him? Wasn't that the most selfish thing she could do?

It was. It was selfish. She hated herself. She hated that he was right. What had she to offer, anyway? She could barely fight. She had no magic. She was bright, but in the heat of things, what did that matter?

Shit, Jane. She couldn't go.

She didn't go to dinner. She pouted like the child she believed herself to be in the room.

Loki came in much later and ignored her, believing her to be too angry to converse.

Jane was sitting by the fireplace, exhausted from hours of weeping.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm selfish. I don't want to be left behind."

He swallowed, but didn't respond.

"I'm afraid of losing you. I've lost so much...I thought that maybe...maybe if I went...but it was really just me terrified of not knowing..." she paused. "My parents died when I was young, both within months of each other...my mom had cancer, my dad died of a heart attack afterwards. His heart broke, Loki. It broke without her. Because I was so young, no one ever explained to me what was going on..." she was looking at the fire, and he was slowly making his way closer to her. "...and so I never understood...not until much later...but the ignorance...the darkness of not knowing...and I've always felt like had I known, I could've helped somehow."

She paused and looked up at him, he was now feet from her. "And the paralysis I felt was something. The impotence of inaction."

He nodded. "I understand."

"Do you?" The room felt close. The magnitude of what she was asking was heavy. "Because as much as you believe that you love me...I love you ten times more. I've been so alone...searching for something...and I found it in the most unexpected of places..." she paused and smiled. "Well...maybe not. I've been studying the heavens for a while now...perhaps deep down I knew that's where you would be."

He went and knelt before her. "Alright, Jane. Hush..." and his hand smoothed her cheek. "I will protect you. You will come. But you cannot deny me the right to see you to safety. Once I have the apple, I'll follow," he smiled at her and dropped his hand. "But how dare you suggest that you love me more. I am quite put out..." He laughed.

* * *

Two days later Loki Odinson and Jane Foster were walking along the rainbow bridge, Thor prattling along nervously about things neither heard. The sky bloomed blue fiercely, and the amaranthine clouds threatened a storm.

A storm, Jane thought. She hadn't seen one yet...and it was the one thing that she had longed to see since Loki had described it many weeks ago now.

"...the power of my sentence still holds, brother...to Helheim and Asgard only. I'm making many allowances for you in this quest."

"Your charity knows no limit, Thor," Loki sneered. "Especially considering the fact that I am both a monarch and a sorcerer. I'm certain your paltry hold would prove quite challenging for me."

The party stopped.

"Well..." began Loki.

But Thor crushed him in an embrace.

"Do you mean to kill me before I even set out?" Loki choked.

Thor pulled away, tears threatening. "Take good care, Loki. If you do not return in ten days..."

"You'll come for us. Yes."

Thor turned to Jane. "Watch him, lady. His tongue often gets him into trouble."

She smiled. "Oh...I know about that intimately."

Thor laughed and stood away.

Loki took Jane's hand, and with a final look at the Asgardian sky, they disappeared.

* * *

Jane's eyes adjusted as she found her breath.

And the scene fell before her in a dense pattern...she gasped at it, and looked to Loki, who was smiling down at her.


	4. Chapter 4

The air was quite thick, brimming with some pervasive energy. It swelled and swam throughout the expanse. Jane's lungs needed to adjust, for her breathing was more labored in Helheim.

Before her a sea of willows stood at attention. They loomed, foreboding and strange. They dripped what looked like very grey moss from their limbs, and the breezeless air still managed to give it sway due to the slight movement of the humidity which was so formidable. It was difficult to see much past the willows, for they were close, and the light was very dim. It almost felt as though they were standing in a very large room, or amphitheater, and Jane looked for the sun...any sun.

What she saw above her was a tapestry of orbs, none terribly bright, all illuminated by a neighboring star. It appeared in stark contrast to the scene before her, as if they were, indeed, inside. A giant glass encasement, an aquarium, she was inside of an aquarium, and outside of it were the heavens...on vibrant display.

"What do you think?" asked the King.

"I think...it's very strange."

"Hmmm...it gets even stranger..." and Loki looked in front of him. "Recall, love, I have our weapons hidden away...if you are separated from me, if you are in danger and I'm not there...hold on to your gem and I will come for you," he paused. "And if I send you to Asgard...do not hesitate...go immediately to Thor and tell him to come. I will likely be in need of assistance."

Jane nodded.

They began to walk.

The willows were relentless in their stations, they nearly touched the ground with their weight, and as Jane and Loki made their way onward, the trees protested, and became even more thick. The ground was soft, as though made entirely of moss, and it felt wonderful beneath Jane's feet. Like walking on AstroTurf, or perhaps a summer in a Tolkien forest, sans the fairies and the elves. And sun. A sound was heard...a rustle or a brush against the moss.

"What was that?" Jane whispered.

"Likely elves," Loki whispered back.

Well, so much for no elves. Jane wondered idly if there would be fairies.

"Are they unfriendly?"

Loki had stopped. "Everything is unfriendly here."

"Oh." Right. Hel.

But the disturbance faded, no other sound was to be heard, so they pressed on.

The heat was something, and Jane began to think about the Inferno. The first circle...limbo.

That's when she spied it. The castle. It was enormous.

Jane recalled the Prose and Poetry Eddas, and knew that though much of it was fictionalized, some if it held weight...

"We should go around it, yes?" she hissed in Loki's ear.

"If we can..." he knew that the tormented never made their way so close to the entry of Hel, so their was likely little danger here...he was waiting until they got closer to the garden to transport them there. His magic was not quite as potent in this realm, and he didn't want to use it needlessly, especially if necessity demanded that he send Jane away.

There was a field surrounding the enormous complex...Loki had said that many men dwelt there, and if they were stopped, it could be decades of nothing but talk, and they couldn't risk being sucked into some insane vortex of endless chatter.

So around they went.

It took what seemed like hours and hours to reach a fair distance between them and the castle, and finally Jane said she needed to take rest.

Loki acquiesced, and they leaned against a willow along the periphery of the forest and the fields surrounding the castle.

"It's so hot..." Jane complained. "And not the heat I had imagined...it's humid, as though we were on a beach, but without the comfort of a breeze."

Loki unfolded a glass of water with his magic and handed it to her. "There is little in terms of comfort here, Jane. I told you as much."

She nodded, deciding not to tell him how irritating an "I told you so" is. She drained the glass and held it to him. He refilled it and drank.

"Where is everything? I thought the place would be teeming..."

"This is the entrance. Most things do not make it this far...we will be seeing creatures soon enough."

They sat for a short duration, Jane attempting to fill her lungs as best she could. It was a difficult task, her lungs labored with the effort.

"We should go now...there is much left in terms of travel..." Loki looked upward, the ceiling was filling with what appeared to be fog, and strange creatures were taking flight from the forest behind them.

They got up and began walking, the floor sloping downward now, making the effort less strenuous for Jane's mortal body.

And as they descended, a soft breeze could be found brushing her cheek. She lifted her head to capture it fully, giving her a respite from the endless water in the air. She smiled her relief.

They came upon a precipice...a towering mass of rock, and below, a churning stew of black and grey...with fits of sparks and light as though something was attempting an escape. Something unseeable...something powerful, was being withheld in the twisted and the squalid expanse of the tub below. It seemed quite far...and the opposing side appeared to be miles away.

"Are we gonna cross this?" Jane asked nervously.

"No. We shall stand here indefinitely and wait for the apple to find us," Loki replied.

She looked up at him angrily. "Your sarcasm is so very welcome right now, I'm so glad you decided to use it in this particular instance."

He laughed. "Come now, Jane. Take heart. It's good to maintain a healthy humor...even when things seem most dire."

He took her hand, and closed his eyes. The next thing she knew, she was on the other side.

Jane laughed, looking at him. But her foot wasn't secure, and she began to slip backward. Loki had dropped her hand in his belief that they were safe...and she fell.

He reached for her...but it was too late...and he couldn't risk using too much of his power...

Blind in panic, he dove after her...

Amaurotic she fell...she grabbed and reached for something to allow her purchase. Jane slammed into something...and her hands frantically grasped...her fingers suddenly screamed with agony. Something tore, and she felt blood...

But she was holding onto something...and she pulled herself up, panting. The wind was fierce, unyielding and brutal. Dust was blowing in endless blindness as Jane attempted to get her bearing.

She swallowed, and took the gem from her chest, pressed it hard in her palm.

"By the gods, Jane! You're alright!"

He was suddenly next to her screaming.

Jane threw her arms around him shaking.

"Can we get out of here?"

And the wind, in all of its tumultuous ferocity, protested their escape...but Loki's magic was formidable, and he transported them to the cliff above, ensuring now a safe distance between them and the gaping depth.

"I'm sorry," he wheezed. "I didn't allow enough breadth for your safe landing."

Jane shook and made no answer. She looked at her hands, red with spilling blood.

Loki took them in his own, pressed gently, and something was felt snapping. A dull ache was left.

"Allow me..." he said. And he began to slowly move his fingers over her cuts, green glowing in the space between their hands.

When Jane looked once more, she was healed. She looked up at Loki, and kissed him soundly.

"I'll try to be more careful," she said sheepishly.

He got up and held his hand to her. "Yes, do please see to it, my naive mortal. Your clumsiness will not do in Helheim. You'll make us miss dinner if you don't tend to it." He laughed at her.

She smacked his arm.

They continued onward, the landscape beginning a slow change once more. The sky...or ceiling...or glass...was beginning to swim green and grey. Clouds were rolling in, and Jane thought that perhaps this was the cause of the humidity, for they were thick and foreboding, menacing in their gather.

They were approaching what appeared to be a wall, a transparent, moving wall.

"Is that...?" Jane began to ask.

"A wall of rain, yes..." Loki began. "Once we pass this area, I believe I will be able to transport us closer to the garden safely."

"What sort of rain?" she had read about the rain, but it was left description-less. She imagined acid rain...

"Icy," was his reply.

"Oh."

They crept onward, the wall now sounding out its cacophonous symphony of sound. It's rapture was all encompassing.

They were a few feet from it now, and Jane felt the spray on her face. It felt relieving to have the ice momentarily quell the onslaught of the humid air, but the prospect of actually splitting through the wall was daunting, to put it mildly.

Loki took hold of her hand, "Alright Jane, it's best to go through quickly. When we reach the other side, you'll need to dig your feet in...it's an oozing mess..."

She nodded, and they plunged forward.

Pain. Stinging pain. Beating any exposed skin in angry fits. Jane held Loki's hand in desperation, trying to maintain balance against the maelstrom of frigid water.

She couldn't breathe, lest she inhale the ice. She couldn't see, for the ice would surely penetrate her eyes. She could only move because Loki bade her onward with his pull.

And then nothing...

Jane opened her eyes. There was a steady fall of rain, though it was lessened considerably from what she had just experienced.

And before her laid the Náir, the rain falling down upon them, their wailing song muffled in the noise of the water. They craned and writhed with what seemed like pain, but their faces were expressionless. Their bodies were tangled in muck. Their noise was low, its muffled cadence thrummed along with the beat of the endless rain.

She was impressed by the scene...the many doubters on earth would do well to see this. The agony, the yearning, the contrast to what they believed hell to be.

They were mindless in their pursuit for some unknown relief. Their vacant countenance, even taken on whole, were something to behold. Jane scanned the scene in horror, and leaned closer to Loki.

"It's so...sad," she observed. "Not the torture I would imagine for the damned."

"Is grief and longing not more acute than physical pain? Is not the break of hope and the loss of comfort not more dire to the soul than any blade can afford?" He looked at her intently, and with purpose, as though the truth of his words were physically understood between them.

Jane nodded. She had felt that. She knew what it meant. She had no desire to ever feel that hollow again.


	5. Chapter 5

It was difficult to pull her eyes away. The air, despite the constant rain, had a strange smell to it. Rot, or dirt…smoldering decay. Though she was unable to detect exactly how anything could burn here in this saturated place, she could not say.

Loki had not released her hand. He guided her through the filthy floor delicately, and Jane wasn't certain whether he did so that they wouldn't slip into the quagmire of death below, or if it was a repulsion which hindered any quick movement, or if, indeed, any quick movement would alert the inhabitants and cause a ruckus undesirable at present.

Her feet sunk into the muddy ground and with every step she felt more uncertain of reaching the end of this unscathed. Her grip tightened around his hand, and he turned and smiled at her. She grinned in hesitation.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Jane nodded. "It's a difficult path to navigate…thin and slippery."

"Do not let go of my hand, and nothing shall harm you."

It was then that she realized that there was a soft sheen on her skin, on her clothes. She looked at Loki, and sure enough, the same sheen was on him. "What is that?" she asked.

He stopped to see what she was referring to. "Ah…we are invisible."

"We are?" she breathed.

"Though they may not appear cognizant of their environment, I happen to know that they can see…"

Jane shuddered, and they moved on.

The moans were becoming tiresome. The wet left her downtrodden. The endless mud and the fact that her feet hurt and she was hungry made her irritable. Jane wanted only to be done with this area of Hel, for it was, by far, the worst to this point. She even fancied the humid air of the entry to this torturous place.

After what must have been at least five miles and many hours of walking, they came upon another rain wall. She sighed her relief. Loki and she had not spoken since the whole "they can see" comment, and Jane was starving and needed to sit.

They made their way through the icy pain, and emerged on the other side. She dropped his hand, and rubbed her face.

Loki took some water, some clothes, some bread, from his stores and sat on the ground.

Jane collapsed next to him, relieved not nearly a term for what she felt. Loki laughed at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, dear, I think that that was a true test to your physical fortitude."

"And did I pass?"

"Barely," and he tapped the top of her head, and she was suddenly dry and had warm clothes one.

"Oh…thank you. Can you do something about my feet?" and she took a swig of water and a piece of bread.

"Your feet?" as he changed his clothing and dried himself.

"They ache."

"Now Jane, we haven't the time for things such as foot massages…it will need to wait until we get home," he smirked playfully.

She nodded, dejected.

Suddenly serious, Loki began, "Recall what you've read and what I've told you about Iðunn."

"That she is beautiful, she is wily…jealous…possessive."

"Just so," as he drank the water. "She has many weapons at her disposal. And since we have history, she will likely use them."

Jane nodded. "What happened between the two of you, anyway? I mean, I know that she didn't want you to take the tree, that you tricked her…but…I feel like you are not telling me the whole story."

He cleared his throat. "Well…I may have insulted her…she may have…attempted to seduce me…she is, for lack of a more apt term, a goddess of fertility…"

"Ah. I see. You rejected her and she was insulted."

"Also…I called her a nymphomaniac," he smiled warily.

"Jesus."

"Indeed."

"Can we go to the garden invisible?" Jane asked.

"She will see us Jane, I told you that. Iðunn is very powerful."

"More powerful than you?" Jane sounded like a child, unable to see a flaw in her lover.

"Well…let us not get carried away now," he laughed. "But, yes…in some things she is."

Jane nodded. She took a deep breath and looked about her. It was the first time she had had the opportunity, for her mind was much disturbed with thoughts of the bog and the looming confrontation with Iðunn.

She was not prepared for what she saw.

Endless, inconceivable beauty. The sky above in a cathedral of golds and pinks and effervescent lights, and wandering moons…the sky pulsed with the beat of movement, and there must have been a sun somewhere, but Jane could not spot the elusive star. The water to the right, so recently a gush of pain, was a mist of rainbows, a warm cascade of radiance. And it fell into a basin below, and the water pooled into a mix of green and blue, beckoning any observer forward to take refreshment of its depths. And trees bent in prayer, everywhere…they were heavy with fruit, they bloomed fully of blossoms, fragrant and succulent. Jane's mouth watered with the idea of enjoying the fruit from the trees.

And song…some hidden hymn was to be heard…she could not locate the source, but it was familiar, and that caused her disquiet.

The air, how refreshing! She was nearly drunk on its perfume, so subtle, so eloquent in its bouquet.

A smile was to be found in a moment. The palliation was at work…for though she still felt the heaviness of the task, nothing could seem so dire in this Eden.

Eden.

Garden.

She looked at Loki, who was found to be examining her.

Jane swallowed some more water. "Are we…there?"

He nodded. "We are on the outskirts of the garden. I will take us to the center when you are ready."

"It's so…beautiful," she said, looking around.

"It's true…but we are in more danger here than in any other part of Helhiem, which is why will be passing over the majority of it."

"The creatures…all that I read of…" Jane recalled her studies. "If we are passing over it, why did I bother with studying?"

"Because they are not wholly limited, Jane…they are not bound by the arbitrary lines of the garden. And the place is vast…this is but the most minuscule of corners in the garden. Most of them do not leave, for indeed, why would you? It is a heaven of hell…." he looked up, and a faraway look graced his visage. "It's profound, if one reflects on it…one may not even realize that one is in the netherworld…perhaps Iðunn does not, despite her brilliance. It would, in fact, explain much about her if that was the case…"

"What do you mean?"

"Her insufferable conceit. Her mistaken sense of entitlement…she believes herself a monarch of sorts. Delusional in her narcissism…for though she is powerful, she is a prisoner."

Jane thought a moment. "You mean Odin…?"

He nodded. "Odin. Iðunn was banished…Odin was angry…one of the many reasons he wanted the fruit for the Aesir."

"Oh…"

Loki laughed.

"What?" Jane asked.

"You. You are so delightfully naive, yet so painfully brilliant…I cannot imagine what the millennia holds for you."

"You have this uncanny way about you…you make me want to hit you, yet simultaneously, kiss you," and she laughed.

"I have no objection to the latter…and depending on the circumstances, the former may not be altogether unpleasant…" he looked crookedly at her.

Jane shook her head. She took a breath. "So…when should we do this thing?"

He brought his hands together, then apart. He handed Jane a small blade. He looked at his hands, his brow furrowed. "We have been here for three days, Asgard time…that is not bad…"

"Three days!"

"I told you…time moves differently here…"

"Why aren't I exhausted?!"

He stared blankly. "Because…time moves differently here."

"Impossible!" and Jane stood abruptly.

"Jane!" Loki yelled, but it was too late…some flying creature had her in its talons.

She attempted to dislodge herself, but soon noticed the height, and decided the fall would kill her. The winged creature held her fast, digging its splintering spikes into her shoulders. The pain was acute, and she felt faint from it. She soon felt blood emerging from her shoulders where the creature had her.

Over many mountains where black movement suggested beasts, over purple planes of swaying grass…they flew on.

And Jane wondered where she was being taken, and fretted if Loki was ok…though she knew him to be a survivor, and as soon as she was put down, she would grab the gem around her neck.

Endlessly they flew…the garden was huge…until the nausea of pain bettered her resolve, and she retched, she shuddered, and the blackness enveloped her.

* * *

And Loki knew where she was being taken. The Hraesvelgr was sent by Iðunn…she knew that they were here. She also knew that Jane meant something to him, or else she would have taken him only…

But then…another might be on its way…

Loki gathered his magic, and sunk into the depths of Hel's space to the center of Iðunn's garden.


	6. Chapter 6

It was eerily bright. It can be observed that Loki was not quite ready to have the conversation with Iðunn. She was quite versed in many things, and her prowess was extensive. He knew he could outwit her, but he was tired from worry over Jane, and was distracted.

He looked about for the tree, for he should know exactly where the thing was when Jane was brought back. He would use his magic to send her to Asgard, since the plan of arriving largely unnoticed with a minimal interaction with the fertility goddess had gone awry.

Loki was standing at the bottom of some stone steps, likely an entrance to the side garden to his right for Iðunn. Her palace stood to his left, rather modest in comparison to that of Asgard, but a palace nonetheless. The immediate garden was an open expanse, a rolling meadow of considerable size.

There…at the far end…it had been moved. It was larger than Loki remembered, its branches quite heavy with the fruit. The thing nearly glowed with copious apples.

"Well, fancy a dark prince of Asgard paying me a visit. It is a wondrous day, indeed," purred a voice behind him.

His mouth curled a smile, and he turned. "Iðunn, it is a pleasure, as always."

"Oh, Loki. Do not shower me with your falsehoods. You derive no pleasure in seeing me," and she slunk toward him. Her hair was a long, lustrous auburn, her skin alabaster, but its shade altered a bit, as though the system had a mind of its own. Her eyes were large and green, her mouth boasted thin lips, but were a pleasant peach. Her nose was grand and regal. She wore boots, with gold pants form fitting to allow quick movement, her tunic short and sleeveless, and the same color as her pants. Her hair was piled high on her head, some long curls escaping their captive pin. She walked up the steps, and Loki followed.

"On the contrary, I always take pleasure in observing beauty."

"As do I…we share that pastime. Tell me, how is your fair brother?"

Iðunn brushed passed him, deliberately running her hand across his arm.

"He is hail enough, and recently wed."

"Indeed?" and she turned with a hint of surprise. "Wed? Its a pity. I never receive news…nor invitation…nor any attention at all from the handsome princes of Asgard…" she pouted.

"Actually, Iðunn, Thor and I are recently Kings."

Her eyes flew open, then fell in a squint. "You…you both…are Kings? How is that possible? The pride of Odin would never have agreed…"

"Thor insisted," and Loki shrugged, smirking. "So, I am now King of the nine realms, and I come for one of your apples."

"Have you, King Loki?" her voice dripped with emphasis. "Well, by all means…do have one…" but she made her way close to him, and placed her hands on his chest. "…but what have you to offer me in return? And what about your travel companion? She is still some time from here…"

Loki leered. "I have anything you could desire…and I shall simply wait for my friend until your minion brings her."

"Anything…?" her voice suggestive, her hands roaming down his body.

Loki laughed and stepped back. "Truly, Iðunn, something else must interest you. Haven't you enough offspring?"

She cocked her head and turned away. "Your "friend" as you term her…she is a bit more, wouldn't you agree?"

Loki swallowed. "A bit more? She is a diversion."

"And is she successful in her occupation as the King's diversion?"

"She is adequate."

Iðunn then turned to face him, holding two glasses filled with a red liquid. "Pity. Adequacy is so…dull."

Loki knew better than to accept anything from the goddess. "I thank you for your hospitality, Iðunn, but I require no refreshment. Let us discuss the payment you require for your apple, so that I might leave you to your day…"

Iðunn smiled at him. "You refuse my offer of refreshment? Oh, what has Odin taught his wayward son?"

"To not take drink when one is not thirsty."

She placed the glasses down on an obliging table. "Well, then…payment, yes. I'll take your adequate diversion."

"Pardon?" Loki's mouth felt dry.

"If she is only adequate, perhaps I might train her to be exemplary."

He laughed. "Come now, Iðunn…do be serious. What could you need with another attendant?"

"Oh! But she wouldn't be an attendant, your majesty," she whispered. "She would be my pupil…" and then she turned away. "It gets so dreadfully dull here…you have no idea…your little diversion would suit me quite well…I could teach her all that I know, and within a century, I could return her to you. And she would be much more than a diversion, she would be a prize…" she hissed the last bit, turned toward Loki again, her eyes flashing.

Loki hid his swallow by turning away. This he had not counted on. This was unforeseen. If Jane would touch that gem, then he would know where she was, how much time he had…he could trick Iðunn into believing he accepted her bargain…and then send Jane away as soon as she arrived, and he would follow…he was fairly certain that his magic could penetrate whatever spell held the apples from this distance…

"Well…King Loki? What say you?"

He turned to face her, his face impassive. "Of course. It sounds a reasonable enough bargain."

"Excellent…"

At that, the Hraesvelgr was seen in the distance. Iðunn smiled and approached the oncoming creature. Loki was behind her, sneering.

The great bird dropped a lifeless Jane in a heap at the bottom of the steps.

"She has a poor constitution, my King," and she went down the steps toward Jane. "She bleeds…" and as Iðunn came nearer, she turned toward Loki. "She is mortal…" she whispered. "She is why you desire my apples..."

And with that, a green light flashed from his hand and Jane disappeared.

Iðunn screamed and turned on the spot, and when she pivoted, a great blade emerged from her hand. Loki then held a sword from his stores, and went at her. He felt drained, he and used his magic too often…but he engaged her…

Iðunn's blade turned into a serpent, and Loki dismissed it quickly by severing its head.

He gathered up his magic, and hurled it at her, sending her flying…he must act quickly, he couldn't keep up much longer…get an apple.

He ran toward the tree…perhaps he could obtain one without summoning it.

But as he drew nearer, Iðunn emerged from behind it, large and looming, at least 20 feet in height, and her voice boomed. "You are depleted, Loki…I sense it…"

He skidded to a stop. Summon it, now! And an apple found its way to his pocket…but as he began to fold the space of Helheim, he was pushed to the floor, Iðunn's magic pinning him down.

"My King," as she regained normal size. "Going so quickly?" and she smiled.

The press was severe, and since he was exhausted, he succumbed. Jane would be here in a day or two with Thor…he could withstand anything she had in mind…his magic might even replenish itself in that time…and he would send the apple to Asgard as his final act before Iðunn took him in…

* * *

The tiny golden apple materialized in Loki's chamber in Asgard. He had miscalculated, his mind weakened along with his magic, he had meant to send it to Heimdall, for the observer would get it to Jane immediately.

But it would only have delayed her acquiring it, had she been there.

* * *

Jane awoke in a cave. She hurt all over and was freezing. She shook as she attempted to get her bearings. The last thing she recalled was being flown over the garden in Hel…and sharp pain in her shoulders…and retching all over herself.

She looked down. Yep. She had retched all over herself.

Her shoulders burned. She could barely move them without the split of pain. She bent her elbow and touched her left shoulder. Blood covered her fingers.

She needed to discern where she was. Where was the great bird? Was it hovering outside of the cave? She crawled to the gape, and peered hesitantly out.

A white landscape filled her vision. There was no bird. There was no garden. What the hell happened?

Jane began to rise to her feet, but not being able to adequately use her shoulders inhibited any graceful movement she might enjoy. She crawled over to the wall of the opening on her elbows, and inched her way up, by sliding her body and pushing against it.

Her breath could be seen in vapor form, and she walked slowly out of the cave.

She looked around.

A bit of snow covered the floor. Evergreens were all along the sides of the hill she found herself perched on. A bit more discerning a look, and she spotted a small town about two miles from where she was…at the bottom of the landscape.

Tears began streaming down her face. Panic filled her head. She trembled in her station, trying to decide the best course of action…she could call for Heimdall…

"Heimdall!" Jane screamed. "Heimdall!"

Nothing. Maybe she needed to be by a port of the BiFrost…maybe he wasn't looking for her…maybe something dreadful, more dreadful than this, had happened.

For there was no doubt in Jane's mind as she looked about her in her panic as her breath caught and her eyes streamed and her heart beat like the march of a thousand elephants in her chest.

Loki had sent her to Midgard.


	7. Chapter 7

Jane was freezing. She had no idea where she was, or why she had landed on Earth. How did Loki send her there to begin with? Had he found her in her unconsciousness? She was thirsty and her shoulders were as painful as anything she had ever experienced. Best get to that town, maybe there was a hospital or clinic there.

She began her slow descent to the bottom of the hill, losing her balance a few times and painstakingly getting back up. Her clothes were ill-suited for the climate, and she trembled from the cold.

She looked behind her, and the mountains jetted up in raw expanse. Where was she? It was lovely…

Jane began to walk down the center road. It was late afternoon by the looks of it, and there were people with backpacks on, as though they were off to hike. A couple of people looked at her and stepped away…Jane had no idea what she looked like, but she imagined it was none too good.

Everything was in a foreign dialect. She noticed one, Velkomstsenteret. "Velkom…" she said. "Sounds like…Welcome…something," she muttered. Ok. Hopefully someone spoke English.

"Hello?" Jane said in a hurried tone as she banged through the glass doors. "Hello? I need help…" and she fell in her anxiety.

People began converging on her. They were reaching for her…"Help me, please…I'm hurt…"

And then everything went black.

* * *

Jane's eyes did not want to open.

But open them she must, for she needed to find Loki. "Loki!" she yelled, sitting up, screaming in pain, and falling back down.

Hands were on her, easing her back.

"Hvordan føler du deg?" said a woman's voice.

"What." Jane returned.

"English?"

"Yes…yes…English, please."

"How are you feeling?" asked the woman in a thick accent and white clothing.

"Like a puppet whose strings are broken."

The woman nodded.

"Where am I, please?"

"Currently, about three miles outside of Jotunheimen…a national reserve in Norway."

Jane's face fell and her eyes teared. "Jotunheimen?" Frost Giants…Loki must've sent her here with his heritage in mind. "I need to make a phone call."

"You should first know of your injuries, and we need your name…"

Jane huffed. "Jane Foster. Recently American. Though…not for long…"

The woman's eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Well, Miss Foster…not for long American…you have suffered very strange injuries, indeed. Large claw-like marks are on your shoulders. Your right shoulder was completely dislocated, and we had to perform surgery on it. You have many stitches…" she looked at her paper on her lap. "Over fifty, for both sides."

Jane thought that if Loki could've tended to her she would have no stitches or surgery, it would've taken a few minutes to heal her and it would've ended in a kiss.

No such luck here.

"Ok. Thank you. Can I have my phone call now?"

The woman seemed displeased with that response. "How did you come to be so injured?"

"That wasn't part of the questions you asked."

"No…but I should like to know. If you were attacked by something, we need to know."

Jane sighed. "There was no attack. Look…I'm not a prisoner…can I please get a phone?"

The woman smirked at her, and looked toward the table to Jane's right. On it sat a telephone. "Oh," she said meekly. "Can I make international calls here?"

The doctor, or whoever she was, nodded and left the room.

Jane reached over, thinking it was rude of her not to hand her the phone in her current state, and began following the instructions translated into English, on the phone.

It rang.

"Look…if this is that debt consolidation thing-y place again, I swear to god I'm gonna freak out. I don't need…"

"Darcy stop taking."

"Jane?!"

"Yeah…it's me. Look…I need your help…I'm in Norway…" but Jane couldn't talk.

"Jane! You're where?! Norway? Erik is there now…what the hell are you doing in Norway?"

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. At least Erik was here. One good thing has come of this. "Great. Look…can you call him tell him to come and get me at …" and she gave Darcy the address, and made her repeat it back.

"Yeah. So…what are you gonna do?"

"I need to get to New Mexico."

Darcy laughed and said, "Oh my god. I'm totally going there with you. I need to get the hell outta New York. It's driving me nuts."

"Why is it driving you nuts?"

"It's too fucking crowded and you can't move without bumping into someone, and the people I bump into are always either married or gay."

Now Jane laughed. "Yeah, and Puente Antiguo is just brimming with hot single heterosexual guys."

"Well…you've done ok for yourself there…"

"Darcy. Call Erik," and Jane hung up.

She should've just called Erik first, but he never had his mobile on…Darcy always answered immediately.

She sighed.

Jane worried about Loki. She thought about what happened…was it a mistake that he sent her here? Was it even him? Did he know she was no longer in Hel? Was he Ok?

* * *

It had been five days, and Thor began to wonder at Loki's success. Should he go early and risk missing him by not crossing paths? Risk his brother's anger?

Loki had said ten days; that the quest would take two or three days Helheim time…

Thor would wait until the ten day limit. He was King, and as of right now, the only one in Asgard. He did worry over Loki. To lose him just when he was becoming his old self again was a thought he had, and it made him ill.

* * *

_He was trying to keep up with Thor…but the God of Thunder's blows were mighty and strong. Though Loki was swift and agile, he lacked the brute strength of his brother. Odin was watching, shaking his head, as Loki fell beneath the formidable fist of Thor. Loki smirked, in an attempt to brush it off. They had been training for weeks and weeks, they were just shy of a century in age, and it was time to fight. _

_"__Do you need help getting up, Loki?"_

_"__I require no assistance, but I thank you for your heartfelt concern, Thor," and Loki got up. "Father, let us train with the sword…how often do you suspect we will be engaged by Elves with only our fists to fight with?"_

_Odin smiled. "Often enough, I'm afraid. A warrior should be prepared, no matter the situation, my son. You would do well to remember that."_

_"__But I have my magic!" Loki protested. "Even without a weapon, I am hardly defenseless…mother saw to that…"_

_"__And what if you are hurt?" Odin pressed on. "What if some dark magic befell you, and yours was rendered impotent?"_

_"__Aye, brother…" smirked Thor. "A sad state for any man…"_

_(It should be noted that it was at that point that Loki promised himself to get back at Thor for that particular insult in front of Odin, and that Thor has been paying for it ever since)_

_Loki glared at Thor. "I daresay you would know more about the many trials of impotency, brother, than I would."_

_"__Only because I have more experience in carnal pleasures, than you, Loki…"_

_Odin laughed. "Your magic is powerful, Loki, and grows more so by the day. But you need to be trained in all aspects of combat. Thor takes to it well, and so shall you."_

_Loki downed his drink. "Indeed, father. Thor is well suited for combat, though he lacks the quickness of mind to outwit an adversary…I suppose I shall be picking up your bones on the battlefield, brother, no matter what father says about your braun."_

* * *

_Loki approached his mother waiting for him in her garden. His face was forlorn. She had refused him._

_"__Well, Loki," Frigga said as he approached her. She didn't need to turn to know that her son was near. "How was it? What did she say?"_

_"__She said that she was not terribly interested in being courted at present," and he sat down on a rock near his mother._

_Frigga smiled. "Oh, I see."_

_"__One would think, mother, that one maiden would condescend to my company…" and he looked up._

_"__Loki, this is only your first attempt, is it not?"_

_And Loki thought about the maiden who used him to get to Thor…the one he had unwittingly fallen in love with. That was half a century ago, and it still stung. Thor had so many romantic conquests…_

_"__Yes. The first…"_

_"__Well. You might need to be a bit more sly about it, then," Frigga continued. "Something I'm quite certain you can achieve with ease," and she sniggered._

_"__What do you mean?"_

_"__I mean, son," and she stood. "That you may need to woo a woman…they often like to be chased…use your beautiful words…play music…show a maiden Asgard through your eyes…."_

_Loki laughed. "Thor needn't do all of that. He booms his voice, they come running…"_

_"__No. But perhaps none of them are worth having."_

_He thought a moment. "Is that how father won you? By wooing you?"_

_Frigga appeared reflective, and her face wore the hint of a smile. "Yes. But only because I had thrice refused him…"_

_Loki laughed and clapped his hands together. "You refused Odin?! Three times?"_

_And Frigga joined in his mirth. "Oh, yes. He was put out. I believe that that was why he became so determined…because I was so difficult a conquest…and then he was so stubborn to not let me go, that he proposed marriage…"_

_Loki looked crookedly and smiled. "Three times, mayhap?"_

_"__No, no…just the once. I did not wish to try him…" Frigga sat down next to him. "Fear not, my lovely boy. You will find love…love so powerful that it will put all of your brother's many conquests to shame…"_

_"__Truly mother, you are alone in your statement regarding my loveliness…."_

_"__That is not so," returned the Queen. "While it's true that your coloring differs from the Aesir, you are just as tall as Thor, quite strong, your eyes are deep and beautiful…" she saw Loki smirking at her. Frigga laughed, as did her son. "Apologies, Loki…"_

_He shook his head. "How can you know that I will find such love to put Thor's conquests to shame, as you put it…? I fear none shall love me."_

_"__Frigga held Loki's hand. "It is written so…"_

"Oh, my, Loki…you are much weakened. Much more than I had thought…and those memories…poor thing…" Iðunn purred and slunk around Loki.

He couldn't speak…and presently he didn't know if she had somehow stolen his voice, or if he was too weak to summon it.

"Are you awake? Good…" and Iðunn poured some liquid into a glass. She began to drain it into a large bowl, and at the bottom of the bowl, a tube was spotted…Loki watched the red liquid make its way from the tube attached to the bowl, and realized that the other end was in his mouth. She was forcing him to drink this nefarious solution…it was weakening him further and giving her his memories somehow.

He attempted to struggle, but Iðunn came over to him…

"Shhh…my King…soon Thor will be here to retrieve you…"

He evoked his weakened magic, and melted the binding around his wrists, grabbing the goddess around her neck with one hand and tearing the tube from his throat with the other. He sputtered and choked, and his taught grip loosened.

The goddess laughed at his attempt. "Oh, Loki…you are funny…and you shall be punished for that transgression…"


	8. Chapter 8

It was cold. Jane was waiting in the hospital for Erik; he had been contacted via email, and assured Darcy that he was in his way. They would be leaving soon enough, probably in the morning, since it was already so late in the day.

Jane was beside herself. She felt so helpless, Loki being so very far from her, and Jane powerless to help. She tried to find comfort in the fact that she didn't really know what was happening with him, that he was very likely fine, and that at the very least, Thor was going to be making his way to Helheim in a day or two. It was little comfort, but it was all she had, so she clung to it tightly. Tomorrow, she would be in New Mexico, and would be arming herself after speaking with Erik and Darcy about all of the possibilities, and then...then, she would call Heimdall.

She was not stubborn, but she was determined, and Jane knew that should she require it, she could fight. And fight she would...and it wouldn't be a sappy "Stand by Your Man" ridiculous thing, it'd be a fight for survival. Jane couldn't explain it, but she knew that if Loki had suffered pain of death, she'd know...for he was inexplicably her as she was him, and should she fight, she'd be fighting for her own life. It sounded completely mad, but there it was.

Jane played with the blanket, as was her habit, and fretted over her impossible situation.

She would need to be clever. She would need to bring weapons to fight Iðunn.

She thought about what Loki considered Iðunn's weaknesses…lightning, which is why Thor was told to come in case of trouble. Lightning. Maybe Jane could replicate it somehow…or maybe something like a taser would suffice…

She could easily obtain a taser…she could get some other weapons to slow whatever Iðunn used against her. She could hyper electrify a taser. That is easily accomplished…her mind raced. She could do the calculations in New Mexico tomorrow, call for Heimdall…it would all be over in another forty eight hours.

She told herself this, but she was filled with dread.

* * *

"Jane…are you sure about all of this? The doctors said you were very weak," Erik was walking with Jane in the airport.

"I'm sure, Erik…everything is gonna be fine," she paused. "Why aren't you and Darcy in New Mexico, anyway? I left you all of my stuff…"

They boarded the plane. "Well, I had some things to tend to here, and Darcy, well…she doesn't care for Puente Antiguo…she wanted the pulse of New York."

"She doesn't like the house?" Jane was a bit put out.

Erik sighed. "She doesn't like the dead town."

Jane nodded. She supposed she could see her point. "We need to get a taser…and a gun…and maybe a sword…"

"A sword."

"Yeah," Jane was looking out of the window as the plane took off. "And a taser."

* * *

"What the hell, Darcy?!" Jane exclaimed as she entered her lovely home. It was just as she remembered. Lovely, just as Loki had intended it to be. "Who's this?" and she pointed at some burly guy making out with Darcy on the sofa.

"He's…ah…"

"Mike," said the beefcake.

"Yeah. Mike," and Darcy got up. "This is my house, you know."

"Darcy, don't start," Jane glared at Mike. "Can you leave, please?"

Mike was shifting his weight, looking at Darcy for guidance. "Well…Darcy said I could chill here…"

"Get out! I've got work. Come back tomorrow," and Jane went to the laptop, and turned it on. "Jesus. Over 1200 emails. I feel like a goddamn celebrity."

Erik came over to Jane. "What do you need for me to do?"

"Go see if that REI store off of route 64 has a taser…maybe I can get a sword off of eBay or something…have it overnighted. Wal Mart has guns…Darcy. Get me a handgun." No response from Darcy. "Darcy!"

"What?!" and she suctioned her mouth from Mike.

"Go get me a handgun from Wal Mart. And some pop tarts. And some red wine. Oh…" and Jane blushed a bit. "A pack of Camels…"

"You quit years ago, Jane," Erik sounded disappointed.

"When you've been to Hel and back, Erik, I think a smoke is in order."

* * *

The Queen was concerned about her King. Sif saw how his brow furrowed, how his appetite waned. She went to their royal chambers to find her husband the King at his fire, staring in its heated depths.

"My husband…" and she touched his arm.

Thor returned her touch and turned toward her. He smiled. "I shall leave in three days…but it seems as though a lifetime could be lived in that time."

"You worry for your brother."

"He is weakened in that realm. He will need to check his magic, something he is never keen on doing."

Sif rubbed his arm delicately. "Loki has changed, Thor…and he will do what it takes to ensure Jane's safety."

"I do not doubt it…but what of his own? He does not always think in those terms…not when he has given his love to another," and the King sat in the obliging red chair.

"How often has he given his love?"

"To Frigga…to me…."

"But not to anyone in a romantic sense…and to a mortal of all things…" and Sif sat next to him.

Thor laughed. "We are all fools, Sif. I'm not certain that Loki was untouched all of these centuries…though he certainly never confided in me…" he paused. "I would do well to change that. He is a good little brother."

The Queen laughed heartily. "Is he? He causes much drama and consternation."

"He does indeed. A master of mischief. A silver tongue. A lie smith. But one thing he never is, is dull."

"Jane Foster does him well…she will make him a good wife. I cannot believe I am admitting to such a thing, but I see it. They are as well matched as any I've ever known."

Thor reached for her. "You speak the truth, wife. Almost as well as we are, wouldn't you say?"

Sif smiled. "Almost."

"A happy outcome, no?"

"The happiest, husband," and she leaned toward him, and kissed him soundly.

* * *

Iðunn's laughter could be heard in the depths beneath the palace…she was mad in her mirth. It echoed in the cavernous vertical extent.

"Oh, my King! You will not forget this lesson…one you had many centuries ago now…how fortunate for me to have acquired the Jormungand for your pleasure," and the goddess stood in front of Loki…his hands bound on either side of him, pinned against a wall…he remembered this…and his mouth went dry.

But he stared at the goddess, whose manner was seeping from the ancient pores of skin, her intent dripped and hung from her like the poison ripping through the sea serpent hidden in some alcove above him. She would not break him.

"What is it that you want, Iðunn?"

"A simple enough request. Freedom."

"Pardon?"

"I know quite well where I am, Loki. Odin's attempt to mask Heliheim with this garden was foolishness in the extreme. I desire a place back in Asgard," the seductress finished, and went to the King, placing her hands on his torso.

He curled a sneer. "I will not undo Odin's command."

She laughed. "Odin's command! Are you as foolish as that? You are King…you hold the power to do as you please!" and she walked away from him.

"I have no such thing. I came here, to Helheim, to obtain an apple. I might've come here, demanded what I wanted, and left you here to rot, if I were able to do as I please. A King has responsibilities, a fact I am not ignorant to, but one I think you may overlook."

She obliquely made her way toward him. "You are weak. Your powers drained. Thor will come for you, of that I am certain…and you will be my bargaining chip, King Loki."

"He wields the power of the storm. You, of all, would do well to remember that."

"Once he sees you thus, he will not dare to gainsay me."

Iðunn left him there with a shimmy of her hips and a smile plastered upon her face.

And the last thing heard before she closed the enormous wooden door behind her was the gasp of air escaping the mouth of the King in terror.


	9. Chapter 9

The coffee's effects were too dull an instrument to hold her fatigue at bay. Try as she might, the simple puzzle of creating more of a flame inside the taser's spark was proving a challenge. She nearly gave it up entirely when Erik came out of the bedroom alongside the lab.

"Jane. It's four in the morning. You have quite a long day ahead of you, why not get some rest?"

"I can't sleep, Erik. How can I when he's…" she couldn't even say his name. "When he's alone and it's my fault…" she whispered the last bit. "He's always been so alone. And now I'm no better…I made it worse by insisting that I go."

"Jane, honey…I understand," replied Erik. "But it isn't your fault. And you're about to go and get him out of there."

"What if I can't?"

Erik rubbed his face. "You will, and you'll have Thor, and everything will be fine."

She looked passed him…her shoulder ached, her head hurt, her mind reeled and her body pulsed its beat in mad rhythm. That same beat was about to enjoy many millions more than intended, because Loki wanted it to.

Jane got up and grabbed the cigarettes from the counter. She had only smoked one in the five hours she had had them, and decided it was time for another. She didn't look at Erik as she went to the roof of the lab to smoke it.

Jane gazed up at the stars and inhaled the nicotine deeply, allowing its medicine to calm her frayed and aching nerves.

She had not thought about what it would mean to be a Queen in some time, her thoughts had been too engrossed in getting to Helheim and facing the many dangers it held. What, indeed, it would mean to live for thousands of years. She began to think on it, however, and wondered just what the hell she would do with herself. She supposed that once she became an Aesir, she would have children (their anatomies too different to conceive with her as a mortal). Maybe two, she thought…and her mind jumped to the idea of a little boy and a little girl running about the palace. The boy would have large, brown eyes, thick chestnut hair, but would be angular and tall. The girl would be more slight, but sturdy, and her hair would be straight and black with blue green eyes, clever and sometimes naughty. Like snow white with a streak of mischief. And all the while, life would never be dull, because Loki would take them to may realms, and would have them laughing….

Laughing. Laughter. It was that, perhaps, which held her heart with such sorrow these past few days. Loki always, always made her laugh. She drank more of the cigarette and sighed.

Jane got up and went back down the ladder to the lab below. She would be calling for Heimdall in a few hours, and would charge Erik with finishing off the taser so that she could get some sleep.

_Her footsteps padded the soil beneath her, she was painfully aware of the surroundings...it was dark, the air thick, and a voice was suddenly heard behind her...Do you think, insignificant mortal, that your life in any way will hold peace...it was a woman's voice, it was oily and dangerous...Do you think that you can really hold his attention for thousands of years? The millennia, dear Jane, was not meant for mortal bodies, which is why you'll lose in the end...Jane kept walking, hoping to ignore the voice...Oh, he will remain true for a spell, but you are nothing like an Aesir woman, surely you've noticed...and the voice coiled her brain, squeezing its poison into her beating thoughts...Jane began to run...Oh, Jane, you can try to run, but it is for naught. He is dead...No! Her mind screamed...and suddenly there he was, hanging on a wall, no rise and fall of his chest, no movement...and Jane collapsed in defeat, hoping that the blackness would take her with him..._

Her eyes flew open and she sat upright. She winced at the ache in her shoulder the movement created.

Her lab. She was at her lab. In New Mexico.

She cringed at the dream. God, when did they suddenly become Romeo and Juliet? Or Heathcliff and Cathy? (She recalled her musing on the latter not so long ago) Jane was not usually so moved. She didn't believe that love should be all encompassing...that theoretically, a person could live without their lover if need be. Love should accompany a life, compliment it.

Jane got up. Yet this was not how she felt about Loki. It made her appreciate those stories, and she idly wondered if somehow her love was undoing decades of feminist achievement.

She laughed. She couldn't help how she felt, just as she couldn't help but breathing. Would she kill herself if he was...? She couldn't give her mind permission to internally say it. No, she thought. No, because there was part of her that could do things independent of him, even if she didn't want to. She was more than her love, but less so every day.

And Jane found that she had forgiven him. All of it. All of his transgressions and murder and lies, all of it. Her reasons were more than that she loved him, though that was certainly part of it, but also because he had _changed_. She didn't know if he had changed because of her or what, but she knew that he was different. He was proving to be a good King. He was a good man. Alien. What the fuck, Jane. She never did ask about that.

Well, he will just need to be alive so that she could.

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, wrapped the towel around her.

She went into the lab to find Erik playing with the taser. "Did any packages come yet? I had some stuff overnighted..." and she popped in a pop tart, poured out some coffee.

"No..." Erik paused. "Did you actually find a sword?"

"Hmm hmm. And battle gear," Jane laughed. "I'm gonna be a BAMF. Like Trinity from the Matrix."

"I just read an article," began he, rubbing his face. "About women characters being reduced to something being termed Trinity Syndrome."

"Well, since I'm a brilliant scientist, and since I'm real, I don't give two shits about Trinity Syndrome. I just need to go and get Loki so we can get back to Asgard and get married and I can become Queen..." her voice trailed. "Oh my god, Erik. I'm gonna be a fucking QUEEN."

She collapsed in a chair, forgetting about the pop tart. Erik didn't, though, and fetched it for her. "That you are, Jane. That you are. And I'm glad for it. Isn't there a saying...some have greatness thrust upon us? That's you. And you're gonna be great."

She smiled weakly, and took some of the pain pills Erik held in his hand for her.

Three hours later she was set. She DID look like Trinity. Her hair was pulled high on her head. She was in a black, supple pant outfit, with matching top. It was protective, but allowed fluid movement. She had the taser in her pocket, concealed. She had the gun bolstered to her hip, and the sword hung at her side.

She had no idea what the fuck she was doing.

But she was gonna try and do something.

Jane went out with Erik and Darcy and she looked to the sky.

What if this didn't work. What if she was honestly stuck here...

She turned toward them and smiled nervously. "Thanks, guys, for all of your help."

They simultaneously said, "Yeah...sure...of course...good luck..."

"You'll come to the wedding?"

"Wedding?" Darcy asked.

"Um...yeah...I'm pretty sure we're gonna get married..."

"Holy shit."

"What?"

Darcy laughed. "You're gonna marry a psycho killer alien sorcerer god king. That's gotta be the weirdest thing I'll hear all day."

"Yeah, and I'll be Queen," she swallowed. Then laughed nervously.

"Stop it, Jane. I seriously can't take it."

Jane hugged them both, and turned away.

"Heimdall!" And she waited.

* * *

Sickness. Her stomach felt positively topsy-turvy. It was different when Loki teleported her...usually she felt only mild discomfort.

She skidded on her feet inside of Heimdall's watching chamber.

"You heard me!" She breathed.

"I did...but I cannot see our King, nor have I for some time..."

"No...I need to get to King Thor immediately."

Her boots pounded the bridge. She ran faster than she could ever recall...purposeful and with fervor.

In a desperate need to not run amok in the palace, as soon as she entered, she simply yelled, "THOR!"

* * *

The King was restive. He was attempting to subdue his concern in an effort to maintain calm for Jane's sake...she had been injured, he could tell. But he knew what this meant. Loki was in danger...

"Sif...I need to go. Immediately."

The Queen nodded. "I will hold Asgard until your secure return." Her eyes threatened tears.

Jane felt awful. This was all her fault. All of it. If she hadn't been so foolish, making him take her...if she hadn't fallen in love to begin with...if she hadn't taken a fancy to Thor...not been in New Mexico...not been an astrophysicist...her parents hadn't died...

Well. She might as well never existed to begin with.

She stood shakily.

"Perhaps, Lady Jane, you should stay here as well," the Queen said.

"What?" Jane asked.

Thor looked at his wife. "Jane will come, Sif. I daresay she needs to."

"But perhaps she will only prove to be a burden," Sif replied. "And she is obviously hurt."

"Look. I'm not staying here. No way. I don't care."

"You would risk the King's life? Both of their lives, so that you might play hero?"

Jane shook with anger, her shoulder burned. "I'm not playing a hero! I'm trying to be useful in this mess!"

"That's what you said when you first went, and look what's happened," Sif observed.

"Sif, that's quite enough. Jane will come."

"I understand, Sif, your concern. I get it. But I'm no weakling. I'm not about to just wait around...I know I'm no warrior, but I can fight, and I'm stronger than you think," Jane finished, holding her head high.

The Queen nodded, and looked at Thor. She held her hands to him, and he took them, kissing her.

They headed to Heimdall, the King, Jane, and Fandrall.

"You shall keep watch on the lowest realm, Heimdall. We will be calling for you..."

"Aye, my King."

Jane shifted. She wiped her brow.

The trio then fell into the BiFrost.


	10. Chapter 10

_So...I'm sorry for the meager lengths of the previous chapter and this one as well. I suppose I could've combined them, but it felt so much more...poignant to break them. I promise, the next one will be longer, as we will be undulating once more between LokiIounn and Jane/Thor/Fandrall._

* * *

_In shadows of untraversed logic and beaten down, down to the dank floor slippery with sweat and water and tears and blood, a single drop can be heard. It drips its eternity in fierce mockery, collecting its own pale want in the puddle of a nebula impregnable by anyone but him and his captor. The glass of water steadily rises, and through its depths, a child is spied..._

"Thor!" yells the young black-haired boy. "Wait! I want to go!"

"Now, Loki. You know you cannot...Father said..."

"Father never let's me do anything."

The larger boy, no more than twelve months the younger's senior, and bulk and Braun and mirth grace his features, laughs. "Go to mother, Loki. No doubt she has a spell for you to master."

_H__e disappears, and the placid face remains stoic and untouched...and what a play is a life...? The words prance always...it is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing...poets say such things...and then it comes...the cold black searing insides...the writhing horror, and a gasp, and a glance at the mirror...no...the water of the dying star...a star's tears, shed for him, like a nuisance he clings to it, knowing full well the folly..._

His magic is feared by most with a brain. He is full young, and eager and proud. He stalks the palace in his appetence to demonstrate. He is reaching the maturity of an Aesir, the instincts of flesh accompany it.

But it is Thor they run to. Most hover in fear around him, lest they suffer his magic. He is too prideful to object, too shattered to laugh.

So he becomes charming. He learns to bewitch and entice, and for that he is chastised. He has the same drives as his brother, and he even falls in love. But his frame is too slight to be intimidating, his features too sharp to be kind.

And throughout it all, he lives in shadow, quietly simmering, holding fast to the belief that if all else fails, he has his family.

_Perpetual motion is the only way to describe his thoughts now...now, being siphoned from him as surely as his life...the black strikes hard, the hollow resin stings, and words words words rise and fall before him. Once, a pale demon offered him a query, and he answered with a rhyme...and often when he breathes now, his ribs crackle and bend, they are this far from breaking...his breath a hurricane of abstract thoughts and abject horror...cease this breathing...for it hurts his soul, many centuries old, to continue..._

He is robbed of all that mattered. Everything he believed he was, gone. And fate chose to be unforgiving, and delivered him to the devil. What could he do? He was mad with vengeance. Mad with rage, trust that, above all else, and therein he would find his peace.

But peace is a slippery creature, and none too eager to allow capture. It evades him like everyone always, always did. Though he longed for her baptism, he found only dry earth. And he was brought home, broken but whole, and with a stamp across his mouth like a vice attempting to imprison his soul.

_Time, a foul soldier, dawdling in the corners of eyes, hovering, stealing, sneaking and scant...his laughter is his pain...for time always does exactly what you don't want him to do...he runs when you're in the heat of love, begging for morning to hide in her cloak...he crawls when you're hanging on a wall with the misery of a miasma slanting your veins...when the nebula shines in her puddle of putrescence, and your words are torn from your mind...your words...words of beauty...he once enjoyed the frivolity of his language, so unlanguagable now..._

He knew it. He felt her die. No one had ever been so close to him as she, and when her life was snuffed out like the glorious light she was, he felt it keenly. He felt her departure, as certain as he felt the blood on his feet, the ache in his head.

Thor was cruel, but he had seen to his cruelty, and when he asked him for help, he acquiesced, for truly, he loved his brother, despite everything. He would go with him to save his lady, against Odin's orders.

But the lady was fire. She brimmed hot metal, intelligence, and bravery. He felt drawn to her heat, his own skin so cold, but she was Thor's and he was...

...dead. He had died on that field after saving his brutish brother. He barely made his way back...and when he did, he found his adoptive father sick, falling into his regenerative sleep, likely his final sojourn into such a state.

He could use this. Use this, a whisper of his old self said. Use it, and know the place you were meant to be.

_Someone had once yelled a barbaric yawp to undo his mind, but that poet died, and he stayed true. He loved his words, he loved his brother, he loved his magic...who was he now? He is that speck in the nebula below...he is that stardust of trails, tales...undo it, undo it!_

_He fears madness, yet he doesn't...mother, it's time now...and sick of this falling...and scared of the black and the poison he fears stings him, burns the blue hovering beneath..._

His brother came to him again, even in his sick bed, asking for help. Always, his brother needs his help.

And help him, he does.

He woos the woman he believed Thor loved.

And then, he falls in love.

What bitter chance is love! What condescension! Yet, she is true...the tiny fairy with brown pools of eyes, which hold in their depths magic...he woos her with words and attention and he succumbs to the majesty of her heat.

And she saves him. And he saves her.

And lo, he is King.

_So what of his plight now? What more is there left? He has his station...he lived a life of uncouth desperation. His sorrow ran lines across his face. His mirth sprang its torrent crease in the mind of others, for he knew bliss and he laughed at his jibes. His love...and his love...undid the hollow and blew a breeze so fresh into the chamber of his heart..._

_What had he left? Everything was an eyeless, scathing, brumal, desolate expanse burning its chill in his mind. The nebula was dimming, she was soft in her demise._

_...why was he here? What had he left...?_

"JANE!"

His voiced pierced the hollow chamber and the snake twisted its coils in response to his frenzied movement.

"Jane?" whispered an ugly voice. The thing was furtive in her advance. "Jane?"

His head fell forward.

She made her way to him. "Is this your mortal? Is this your undoing? Is she worth this much?" the goddess cooed her words blithely. "Your story grows more pathetic with every memory I unearth."

He murmured something.

"Louder, please."

"I'm not doing it for her..." he nearly spat, and would've done, had he the strength to do so.

"No?"

"You forget, Iounn, I am a selfish creature," and his words were labored, and his breath was quick, his chest heaving in the effort to utter the sentence.

"For you, then, my King? I fail to understand..." Her eyebrow cocked at this...and she folded her arms against her.

"You wouldn't."

"How wouldn't I?"

"Because. It involves something you know nothing of, and should this kill me, I'll not be sorry. For I shall have tasted eternity, held my salvation, and been given a promise..." he couldn't go on.

"A promise? Of what do you speak?"

"Promise."

She laughed. "So I gathered. A promise...of...?"

"Of light," and his voice echoed, though it was meek enough.

"You weak, pathetic creature! You! A King of Asgard! Ruined by a mere mortal?!" and the goddess cackled her hysteria in the chamber, it echoed its resonance.

And Loki lifted his finger from his imprisoned and chained hand.

Iounn fell backwards, the strength of the spell took her unawares. She was unconscious, lying on the floor.

And Loki, in his attempt to silence her and the ringing in his ears, used his last bit of magic to accomplish it...

But the serpent dangled, and his poison dripped, and Loki sighed his scream.


	11. Chapter 11

The water was a sheet of transparency, a coat of wet just barely allowing visual access to the horrors beyond.

"Great," murmured Jane. "Couldn't we get any closer?"

"No, Jane. This is as far as the BiFrost will take us. It's quite far, wouldn't you say, Fandrall?"

Fandrall nodded.

"But…we need to get across the garden…" she protested. "It's huge…it'll be days…"

"Nonsense," replied the King. "Cousins of Hofvarpnir roam just beyond. Harness them, and we shall arrive in an hour or so."

"Hofvarpnir? That pegasus-like creature?" Jane asked.

"Yes. All will be well, Jane. Fear not."

Jane nodded, knowing not how on earth they would reign in a pegasus, nor how they would navigate the muck of the ring in front of them without the benefit of invisibility.

They made their way through the icy water, Jane now somewhat used to it, and reflecting on how funny it was that she had become used to one of Hel's horrors.

And when they emerged, the soft groans once more resonated in her ears. She stopped abruptly to stave off a tumble, and she grabbed for Thor. He laughed, and took her elbow.

"Let's go, then Lady. It's quite a trek to the other side."

"I know," she said.

The trio made their way, the muck just as disgustingly thick, the mist of rain just as relentless, and Jane just as worried as ever. She thought about the gem hanging concealed at her breast. Perhaps she should hold it…perhaps Loki might feel her presence…

No. She should wait. Wait until they get to the garden. Perhaps she could gain his attention and he could find them…

How the hell were they going to find him? The garden was huge. He could be anywhere.

She wouldn't think on it. She would just trust that he was ok. He had to be ok.

She trudged through, ignoring the state of her person, instead ruminating on the state of Loki…he could be hurt. He could be hidden away somewhere…he could be searching for her in the garden…he could be already at the palace and something went wrong…

That, Jane thought, was the most likely scenario. Thor believed that as well, which is why they would go there first. Iounn was a vindictive, evil goddess, and she had it out for Loki. She had many creatures at her disposal, many tortures to inflict. Jane shuddered. Torture…the snake…he had fallen victim to that horror once before…and Iounn had the snake…in the garden…just like Eden…

She stopped herself. Her head snapped up.

"We are pretty far…" she observed.

"Hush, Lady," Fandrall began. "They will hear you…they've already spotted us…"

Jane looked behind her, and sure enough, a few of the draugar appeared to have spotted them.

Thor kept on walking. "As long as Níðhöggr doesn't notice us, we can fend off a few of these mindless creatures."

At that moment, Fandrall tripped, distracted by the mention of Níðhöggr, and slipped on the grimy floor. He was close enough to the edge of the precipice to slip into the lip of the pit. A draugar claimed his ankle, as it had begun its climb out of the abyss.

"Grab him, Jane!" yelled Thor, he was too far ahead to get there quickly.

She turned, she fell, she grabbed his hand, pulling hard. Thor was at her side in a moment, and heaved Fandrall from the creature.

"Run!" Thor yelled.

She steadied herself and took off as best she could, it was difficult in the grime.

A scream was heard…and Thor slowed for a small second. He turned, still moving, and saw the rise of Níðhöggr from a fair distance away. Jane observed the look of horror on his visage, and she turned as well.

She instantly wished she hadn't.

It was a grotesque thing. Huge…massive…neither seemed adequate…its thew bloomed from every part of it…and its mouth, gaping, with spears for teeth. Jane beheld no eyes, its mouth was far too large.

She sundered and ran, ran as fast as she could. The three could just see the wall of rain in front of them when the ground shook. Níðhöggr was moving toward them.

Oh my god…Jane's mind pounded. Get to the water…get to the water….

The presence was heavy, its movement must have been formidable, despite its bulk. The three were inches away…the stench suddenly wafted and filled their noses…Jane lunged, gasping for breath, knowing full well that no oxygen would reach her lungs in the rain of ice…but getting out of there was paramount, trumping even breathing.

She dove into the frigid wall.

The three ended up on the other side, into the vast Eden. They collapsed, having barely escaped the monster.

Jane grabbed some grass in worship…and rolled onto her back, still desperate for air.

Thor sat up, and took a flask of water from his satchel. He handed it round, and smiled. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Jane laughed sarcastically. "Where's that pegasus thingy?" She looked around.

"We need to seek it out…unless Iounn sends something for us…"

"What do you mean?"

Thor got up. "She often sends creatures to obtain things, persons for her."

Jane got up now. "So that bird thing was hers? The one that took me?"

"Probably…though I can't be certain."

"That's where Loki is. He knew she had sent it…he knew…and he went there after me…"

Jane began to walk away. If they weren't taken in a few minutes, then she believed that Loki and Iounn had fought, and Iounn had lost…if they were brought to the palace, then Loki was in trouble.

She made her way to the expanse of the meadow rolling down into a ravine that boasted a stream, dotted with trees on its banks. She would touch the gem now…if nothing else, it would tell him that she was here. Jane pulled out the necklace, held it in her palm, and squeezed…

* * *

As if he had been hit on the head, as if he were concussed, tiny specks of light dotted the inside of his eyelids.

It was dull at first, but then…warmth descended on him…magic filled his mind…his head slowly rose from its hanging state. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. The serpent was above him, apparently asleep. Iounn was on the floor, unconscious…

Iounn…serpent…things began making sense…they hadn't for some time. The light flashed in front of him once more…violet…

He knew that color…he knew that light…and the heat from it swelled inside of him, behaving in a regenerative fashion.

Jane.

They were coming for him.

With the goddess still burdened with his spell, he could perhaps prepare somehow. His magic was dulled…to be sure…the manacles were taut, the spell strong holding him there…he couldn't undo them…but perhaps…with Iounn laying unconscious, he could summon enough magic to stun the serpent as he and done before. He was so much wiser, so much more powerful than his first episode with the creature…and even though he was very weak, Jane holding the gem was a tonic to his situation…his strength easing back…and without the goddess commanding the creature or assaulting his mind, he was already feeling marginally better.

_Keep holding onto the gem, Jane…_

* * *

Keep holding the gem, something whispered…she turned abruptly. She scanned the surroundings. Nothing. No flighted creatures, no beasts…no Loki.

She had momentarily dropped the gem in her haste to respond to that voice she had heard, but quickly grabbed it again.

"Thor! Nothing is coming…let's find those things."

They began to walk closer to the stream, for creatures would be taking their drink there.

"Loki said that nothing is friendly here…"

"Loki was right. He usually is," replied Thor.

"So…how will we capture them? if we find them?"

"By force, of course," replied the thunder god.

Fandrall laughed. "It is his way, Lady Jane."

Jane couldn't help but think that this was not the way in which Loki would've done this…but then…she had no idea what he would have done, so she offered no opinion.

"Stay here, Jane," Thor began. "Fandrall and I will ascend yonder hills…they prefer being close to the ceiling of the garden…"

"But.."

"You'll be fine. We shall be back within the hour."

Jane didn't argue. She recalled Sif and she stopped herself.

She sat on the bank of the stream and played with some of the grass…her mind wandered…

She was going to get him. She would make sure that he was fine…and when they get back to Asgard, she would nurse him back to health if he needed it. She would read to him, they would laugh. And if he so desired, they would be married…married. Jane still found it incomprehensible. How bizarre, to think of herself as someone's wife…but not just someone, she reminded herself. She would be Loki's wife…Loki…the man who had killed hundreds of her kind…Loki, who had nearly killed Odin…Loki, the lie smith…

Yes. She knew these things. She understood that he was, for all intents and purposes, a villain. But he was also tender, and passionate, and a poet, funny, and she loved him…more than she could express.

When her mind would dawdle in this type of reverie, she would need to recall that she knew all of this going into it, and that she still chose to continue…she would recall that her life would carry with it a doubt, and that that doubt should be hers and hers alone…not even Loki should be privy to it, for she knew it would hurt him.

Jane looked up into the hills and hoped that they would hurry…

She grabbed hold of her gem and sighed.

* * *

Once more the sparks danced in front of his eyes…and their medicine was profound…he was concocting a plan…he could fairly easily keep Iounn asleep…the serpent stunned…the braces would be the challenge. Old magic, powerful magic kept them locked. He eased his way from his knees, and with his hands he cast a spell on the only other two living creatures in the dungeon.

He wondered idly if others would be checking in on their mistress…but he dismissed it. If they did, they were certainly paltry enough for him and his even limited power.

His vigor, though meek enough, was miles from where it had been…and he smiled a cracked smile. He would escape this…and that hope resonated purple in his mind.

* * *

Though it cannot be said that days passed with the same circular manner as they did on Earth, or even Asgard, the light did seem to dull at a certain point, though the source of the light remained a secret to Jane.

Come on, Thor…

And just as she thought these thoughts, she heard two men arguing.

"Thor…my King…" Fandrall's voice carried with it a hint of exasperation. "I told you to pivot right…"

"Did you whisper such a thing?"

"No…I…"

"Well, I heard no such instruction…" and they came into view, two winged horses tethered to two harnesses.

Fandrall acquiesced and said no more.

"Ah, Lady," began the King. "Here we are…we would've enjoyed a third, but Fandrall is daft when it comes to such creatures…"

Jane smiled. "You are hurt…both of you." Jane spotted blood on Thor's arm, and Fandrall was limping a touch.

"Yes…we had a scuffle. I told you that there were no friendly creatures here."

Loki did, actually, she thought. "Well…do I just get up on it? Will he allow me?"

"Here…" and Thor guided one of the horses to her, he kept its snout down. He hoisted her to its back, and gave her the makeshift reigns.

"Bareback…" Jane said.

"What's that?"

"No saddle…I've only ever rode with a saddle."

"Ah! Well…it'll be fine," replied the King. "Fandrall, get on behind me…since you are the dolt who lost us a third…"

And the two men clambered on.

Jane's horse was tensing up, she patted his side. "Shhhh…" she comforted him, and he relaxed. "Ready?"

The others nodded.

And the horses began to gallop, faster and faster, the wind sung in her ears…Jane held the reigns in one hand, the gem in the other…

And before she knew it, she was airborne.

How much more pleasant than her previous flight.

Her breath was swift, adjusting to the sudden rush of air. And she looked upwards to the sky, the dome, the ceiling...it defied any words she knew…her head bobbing to the beat of the creature's wings on either side of her. It was violet.

_I'm coming, Loki._

* * *

She's coming…he knew her name…the poison slowly being overcome by his magic regenerating. The black in his veins, visible to the naked eye, was becoming increasingly dull. He was healing…they would be here…he would be with her…all would be well…

And the goddess was pinned by a force…she was becoming aware…she was stronger than this King's magic…she merely required some time to undo it…and then, when Thor would come, she would insist on her freedom, and make them pay for their neglect.


	12. Chapter 12

Her flight enjoyment was short-lived, however. The great beast had them in the confines of Iounn's immediate garden within the hour.

Thor and Fandrall dismounted and Jane followed suit, the air becoming close around them. She felt her brow tickling with perspiration, and she wiped at it. She turned, and saw that her companions appeared to be uneasy, and she swallowed.

"Things are quite quiet here…I do not think that I like that particular omen," observed Thor.

"Is there a harbinger here to be found?" Jane asked.

"Aye," replied the god. "It is deathly still…"

"Well, we are in Hel, after all," murmured Jane.

Thor motioned to Fandrall to follow him, and they ascended a small flight of stairs.

They stood outside of an enormous doorway. The three were apprehensive…Jane looked at Thor. "So…do we just…knock?" she giggled at the thought.

"No need…" and Jane followed Thor's gaze. He was looking at an approaching being. She gasped.

The thing was a woman, or female at least. She had red skin, scaly, and appeared to slither, though she was walking upright. Her back hair was slicked straight back, her eyes were yellow, her lips full, her arms quite long. She was shocking to behold.

The being began to speak, but in a language foreign to the ears of the three.

Thor smiled. "You'll pardon us…I am not my brother, I know not what you say."

The being then returned the smile. "It is no issue…Iounn is expecting you."

Jane thought that her English was good, though a touch broken.

Thor nodded…the goddess was expecting them. That meant that Loki was here.

"Where is the fertility goddess? Is she keeping my brother the King entertained?" he inquired casually.

The thing did not respond. She slithered her way to the back of the palace, round the outside, along a porch of sorts. Jane hadn't the wherewithal to take it fully in, but had she, she would've noted the similarities it had with a French villa, soft and luxurious, but strangely foreboding.

A small wooden door was at the far end of the place, and the thing took them there, opened the door, and left them.

It was a hollow and steep decent, and Jane was shaking a bit…he was near, she could sense it.

The stairs were stone, and seemingly endless. The air was filled with cold moisture. Jane breathed it in, expecting it to be refreshing, but was disappointed in its density.

She held onto the wall for support. Slowly, they made their way…

It had been some time…Jane thought it at least an hour…since they began to walk down the stairs. They finally spotted the bottom.

Her feet sunk into the clay of the floor. Her heart stopped.

Her dream.

She recalled perfectly how she was hindered by a mucky floor, how she heard the cries of Loki through the black of the expanse.

Her heart sped up. She knew that her feet wouldn't follow her heart's example. She began to trudge her way through the slime.

Thor and Fandrall had stamina, but Jane had determination. Her mind was focused on one thing only…her legs began to burn, but still she went on. Her shoulder screamed, but still she went on. Her mind swam from thirst and hunger. Still, on she went.

Her ears were straining to hear any sound in the close cavern, but it was silent but for the suck of the three pairs of feet through the floor's mud.

And then…as though the prayer in her head was suddenly heard, the silent repetition of her words singing their swan song was achingly made real, that splinter of light punctured the black.

And it was then that she found her fortitude. Then that her breath eased, then that her heart leapt and she started afresh.

Closer and closer it came, the speck grew in the expanse of the cave.

She was nearly there…she could hear her companions behind her…their breaths steady and their feet moving more quickly toward the light.

She reached a door, illuminated from behind…enormous and wooden…and she pushed it open.

…and there he was, hanging, standing, his face toward the ceiling of the dungeon, he appeared to be concentrating on something…his hair in disarray…and he heard the door open…and his face found hers…

"There you are," he whispered.

And as suddenly as he uttered it, his face contorted in horror…but before Jane could register what was happening before she could register any change in the surroundings, she heard a shrill screech, and pain…pain…incomprehensible and unimaginable agony in her right side…

And she looked at where her right arm once was, gone from her body…severed by the angry goddess whose visage adorned a scowl so ruthless that Jane momentarily looked away…

Jane Foster fell in shock, her body writhing in its state.

And Thor rushed in, wielding his hammer, to be unleashed on the witch still laughing at her deed.

And the goddess, though weakened, escaped the god's weapon, and ran to Loki's side, her smile wide and anticipatory.

"Do not cross, me, Thor! I have your brother, and I shall act for my own!"

Thor stopped dead. His eyes went to his brother. Loki had been looking at Jane, but then met his brother's gaze. Fandrall went to Jane's side...she was whimpering.

"What is it that you want, Iounn?"

"Release."

"From?"

She smiled. "From this forsaken realm."

"Impossible."

"You are King. You can undo whatever Odin did...and I'd venture that your brother the King would accede to that conceit. He has much to resent Odin for. If you desire peace and equanimity between the rulers of Asgard, you shall set me free," Iounn remained next to Loki, steadily looking at Thor.

Loki's eyes narrowed. He was attempting to let Thor know that he was much stronger than he appeared to be, inserting his thoughts in his brother's mind. "Truly, Thor...perhaps we should listen to the fertility expert."

Iounn then turn toward Loki quizzically. The snake...the serpent of yore...in her haste to deal with Thor, she had forgotten about the snake.

Mjölnir flew high above the thunder god's head at her distraction. Just as the storm rose, the Garm came charging into the chamber, seizing Thor's raised arm in its jaws. The Hel hound clamped down, and Iounn raised her hand above her, summoning the serpent down from its height. Thor screamed, and Loki, who had been silently working on the manacles, freed his left hand, the right still locked to the wall. He grabbed the goddess by the throat just as Jörmungandr descended, confused from Loki's spell.

And from the floor, Jane sat up, Fandrall went to Thor's side, stabbing the Garm with his sword, releasing the god from its grip.

And Jane, one armed, took her own small Midgard sword in her left hand, and ran to the serpent. It was dazed, and Jane used it to her advantage, severing its head from its body. She dropped her sword, reached for her taser, and went to Iounn.

"You fucked with the wrong mortal," and sent a jolt into her side the strength of which could power a sizable Midgard home.

It wasn't enough to kill her, so Jane rushed to Thor's side...

"Thor...pick up your hammer..."

The god crawled over to the weapon and picked it up. The lightening crashed against the witch, and she fell in a heap on the floor.

Jane sighed. "Is she dead?"

"No. But she won't be up for a while..." and Thor looked at Jane. "Oh, my lady..." and his eyes went to her side, bleeding profusely, and armless.

Jane blanched, and retched on the floor.

"Jane..." a whisper came from the wall.

She had fallen to her knees in her agony. Fandrall was binding the gape just below she shoulder.

Finally, in the middle of the ministrations Fandrall was administering, she looked at Loki, shirtless, bleeding, with his right hand still in its restraints, but slowly becoming undone.

She steadied herself to her feet.

Jane Foster smiled weakly. "Hi..." she forgave her lack of eloquence given that she currently had but one arm.

His right hand finally fell, and Loki collapsed, never taking his eyes off of her.

Jane went to him, and dropped in front of him, tears falling in earnest.

"By the gods, Jane...you are a vision," he choked the words, and she wrapped her left arm around him. "I can fix this..." and he pulled away, looking at her stump of a right arm.

Thor went over. "Loki, we need to leave...you'll need you strength to keep her here...an enduring spell to ensure her prison..." Thor thought of the trek out. "Can you bring us outside? Have you the strength for all of this?"

Loki helped Jane to her feet..."I do...Jane, have you your necklace?"

She took it from under her suit and handed it to him.

He squeezed it tightly, and stood over Iounn. Tiny strings pulsed their way down upon her in a baptism of light. The dungeon was filled with the energy emanating from Loki.

He turned. "She will not be leaving this palace for many centuries."

He went over to his liberators. "Shall we?"

And though he was weak indeed, the four found themselves outside of the palace, about half way through the garden, for that was as far as he could manage.

"I'll hold this for the while, love," and he opened his palm with her gem inside of it.

Jane laughed and nodded. "You need water, and so do I. Do you still have your stores?"

Loki nodded and conjured some water and food for his brother, himself, and Fandrall.

And they all sat on the grass of the enormous garden, and ate a bit and drank...Jane unable to eat, her stomach still churning from the gruesome wound on her side...

Fandrall had wrapped Thor's arm where the hound had sank his teeth. "How long, my King, until you have the strength to repair our fellows?"

"Allow me rest, Fandrall...soon..." Loki collapsed on his back, breathing in Hel's air. "We cannot tarry long...this garden is rife with unknown terrors..."

Jane looked at Loki, unable to believe that he was alright, that they had escaped, that she had no arm.

Tears fell down her face, and he touched her cheek, pulling her down to him, and kissing her mouth. "Oh my love," his hand smoothed her hair. "I did despair...please forgive me..."

She laughed. "This was my fault...all of it all of it..." her head shook with affection. "I'm so sorry..."

"Your arm..."

"Yeah...but it was already completely a wreck...I dislocated my shoulder..." and Jane suddenly felt the full pain of her wounds and ailments...and her resolve cracked, and her mind succumbed to the situation, and she fainted.

* * *

A movement...a flutter...a soft tone...prickles like when a limb falls asleep...a gasp...

Jane opened her eyes. They met a face she knew...a face, angular and pale, eyes blue but swam with slight verdant...that face, burned on her being...and it smiled ruefully.

She returned it. "Loki?" Was this a dream?

"Hello, Jane," and he held out his right hand.

And she grabbed it with her right hand...and suddenly she remembered, and marveled at her restored limb. "It's back!"

"It is. And what are these curious marks along your shoulder?" His finger traced along her stitches from surgery.

"Oh! That bird carried me and I dislocated my shoulder...and I was on earth and they patched me up."

"Patched is an apt word," Loki observed.

Thor was standing...Loki had healed him as well. "Well, Loki...can you get us beyond the ice? That is where the BiFrost entrance is...we can talk about this in Asgard."

They all looked at Loki, and he nodded. His right hand grasped the gem hard.

"Wait!" exclaimed Fandrall. "The apple...? The reason for all of this?"

"Oh my god," said Jane.

"For all that's holy," said Thor.

"Waiting for us in Asgard..." smirked Loki.

And the rush of water was felt behind them.

"Heimdall!" yelled Thor...

And Jane fell against Loki in the BiFrost, he was still weak as of yet to transport them all...and she suffocated in his embrace...and her mind left the pain and the worry and the guilt, the fret, the doubt, behind in Helheim.


	13. Chapter 13

Jane woke up in the care of Eir. She was exhausted, despite her rest. She was starving, thirsty…she didn't know where she was.

And then it hit her, and she sat up hurriedly.

"Lay down, Lady Jane…don't exert yourself…" Eir was next to her, keeping close watch. "Tell the King she is awake," Eir whispered to someone next to her.

Jane rubbed her eyes. "How long have I been here?" realizing she was in Asgard.

"Five days, my lady."

"Wow."

EIr laughed. "It was to be expected…"

At that, Loki's voice could be heard. "…and she's cognizant? She is making sense…?"

"…I do not know my King…I was merely sent to retrieve you…"

"What use are you then?" he replied irritably, entering the healing room.

He spotted her, a look of concern adorned his face. He was hesitant, appearing not to know if he should smile or not.

But Jane smiled broadly.

And he approached her.

He was at her side, holding her hand in seconds…

"How are you feeling?"

"Hungry, thirsty, and tired," she replied.

Loki nodded. "Weak, though?"

"A bit, I guess…"

He waved his hand, and some broth and water appeared on her lap. Jane shook her head in wonder and smiled. "How are you, Loki?"

He sat back…"Ah…bent but not broken. I was here for a day or so…Eir saw me to right. At least, as right as she could…" he winked at the nursemaid checking on Jane.

"You are well enough, Loki. Do not complain about my care."

"The poison…" Jane began, and ate some of the broth.

"Is making its way out."

"Oh…"

"Jane?"

"Yeah?" and she smiled weakly.

"You said you were on Midgard…"

"Oh! Yes…I woke up on Earth. How did that happen?" she fiddled with her blanket, and finished the broth, taking a long swig of the water.

Loki sat back in his chair next to her bed. "I…I suppose I must've made an error in my haste…I had meant to send you here, along with the apple."

"YOU made a mistake?" she chided.

"It happens…on occasion…" he smirked.

"Where is the apple?"

"It is in my chambers…our chambers…another error I made. I had meant to send it to Heimdall."

"Oh. Well…at least it's here," and she looked around. "When am I able to leave?"

"Now, if you like."

And there was honestly nothing she would rather do. She had longed to be alone with Loki for what seemed like years, and though her strength failed her, it would be enough just to be by him.

He helped her to her feet.

"My Lady! Are you certain?" Eir rushed toward them.

"She is fine, Eir. I assure you…I am quite capable of taking over from here…" Loki gave her a stern look., then smiled.

They made their way to the hall, and Loki then teleported them to the King's chambers.

He helped her into bed.

"Do you have much to attend to? You were gone some time…" and she lowered herself into the bed, feeling exhausted from just that movement. "I'm fine, really. My arm feels fine…I'm just tired."

"I'll leave you in a moment…" and he fidgeted, and got up, made his way to the window. "Jane…I…" he cleared his throat, but didn't look at her. "I know that you are quite weak as of yet, and I'm a scoundrel for doing this now, when you've only just awoken…"

He paused at this and turned toward her. "I have been quite irritable during your…absence. I felt hollow and barren…and when Iounn had me fixed to that wall, I began to believe that I'd never be in your presence again…that it was to be my penance for all of my misdeeds, and I understood," he approached her. "Yet there was a luster of subtle light which I saw, and that was you…even in when I despaired, somehow you were there…"

Jane swallowed, she sensed something of weight coming.

He sat next to her on the bed. "In all my meagre life, in everything odious and deplorable that I was, and in some ways, still am, I have learned from you, and I am grateful."

Jane nodded. "Sure," Jesus, Jane. Get a grip.

He smiled. "It is in that vein, that idea, that I am humbled. I, a god, and an onerous, disquieting, adept one, humbled by a mortal…it is…ironic. But I welcome it, for therein I have found my deliverance, and I believe that Frigga smiled on me in that chamber where I met my foe a second time. That serpent had not my soul as he did the first time, and you struck him down with both ferocity and grace. A second time…you liberated me from myself."

He looked at her expectantly. Jane gulped. "Well, " she began. "I love you…of course I would do what I could…even without my dominant arm…" Jane lamented her lack of eloquence in serious situations.

He snickered. "Jane…"

"Yes?"

"I do not ever wish to live without you. I would go to the very ends of Yggdrasil for you…and beyond…you are as much me as I am myself…my amaranthine angel…" he swallowed, and met her eyes. Jane recalled that word, he had used that color before, a few times…"Will you consent to be my wife?'

Oh. _OH._ He was doing this now. Oh, god, Jane Foster…

"I…" she returned his steady stare. "Yes, Loki. There is nothing that I want more," and her eyes welled with moisture.

He laughed, and took her face in his hands, and kissed her softly.

He pulled away and exhaled, rested his forehead against hers. "I'll not ask any more of you…you require your rest. But know that when you awake, you should consider consuming the apple…"

"Really? So soon?"

"Well," he sounded a touch concerned. "You'll need to eat it, to become…Queen…and it will aid in a more expeditious recovery…"

"Right," she said.

It wasn't that she didn't want to…it was more of a symbolic thing. Accepting her life as a Queen, as an immortal being…living for thousands of years.

"What's it like, Loki…being immortal?"

He got up. "Well…" he began. "It's not something I dwell on, really. One heals a bit easier…one does not fear aging, for you are favored with youth for many centuries. I suppose…as an immortal…one takes things for granted. But you will die, Jane, eventually. As will I…make our trip to Valhalla."

She nodded.

"Are you afraid?"

"No."

"Apprehensive?"

"Somewhat."

"Of?"

Jane looked away. "Of living for so long. Of being a Queen."

Loki nodded.

"Yeah…so…I'll just need to get over it, I guess…"

"And I shall be there when you do," and he went over to her and kissed her forehead, touched her cheek, and left her to rest.

* * *

Jane sighed and laid back. Her thoughts were peppered with images of her spending many days in the palace, of having children, of laughing with Loki, of sparring with Sif in the combat circle. She thought about what it would mean to need to fill endless days with activities…

And she thought about being a Queen, and what that could possibly mean. Would she need to have a pet cause, like the First Lady of the United States? Would she be able to visit Earth? Would she visit as a dignitary, or as Jane Foster? Odinsdaughter….? Would she even want to do that?

What about Darcy and Erik? They would be dead, and she would not….but then, she would be here, in Asgard…her new home…

It was a beautiful home…

Jane got up, unable to really rest. She went to the balcony. The sky was feathered with lofty clouds. She felt the warm breeze kiss her cheek. Jane leaned over the edge, looking into Loki's garden below. Yeah, it wasn't so bad.

She went back in. Jane went to the desk and took out a pen and paper….

* * *

Loki arrived back in his rooms a hour or two later to find Jane gone. He panicked for a second, went to the balcony…turned back into the room, and saw a note on her chair by the fireplace.

_Dear Loki,_

_I suppose it is silly to be writing to you in this way, but I guess I thought that it would be poignant, especially since my verbal speech is so laughable._

_I want you to know that while I do have doubts, it's only because it is in my nature to question. I am a truth-seeker, and a truth-seeker hardly ever trusts._

_But know this, I trust you, despite everything. And I forgive you. All of it. I love you, so much so that my very being throbs with my need for you. I meant it when I told you that there was nothing I want more than to be your wife, and while I have my doubts about being a Queen, about immortality, I have none about marrying you. _

_I'm so fortunate, Loki. I am the luckiest person in the cosmos, because I have discovered that which every living soul seeks - its mate._

_Meet me in your garden with the apple._

_Jane_

His hands shook. This was what it was like to receive a love letter…he was virgin to its effects. He was suddenly desperate.

He disappeared, and materialized in said garden.

Jane was sitting on the little stone wall she had sat on after Thor and SIf had married…the same place he had found her when he declared himself to her.

She looked at him and smiled.

Jane stood.

Loki walked over to her.

"I read your letter," he said.

"Was it good?"

"The best."

Jane laughed. "Hardly…I've read my share…but 'the best'? Surely you can do a bit better than that."

"It was dulcet in tone, perfervid in purpose, honest in motive…it held me rapt, it mollified my mind, it roused my passion…" and he touched her hair…"…and it behaved as a restorative to my mired heart…so recently experiencing the slow climb into the luminescence of your love…"

Jane put her fingers to his lips. "That's beautiful. And ample in measure…"

He laughed. "And you claim that your verbal eloquence lacks…"

Jane put her arms around his neck, and kissed him with passion for the first time since the night before they left for Helheim.

He pulled away, and held out his palm.

A smallish orb presented.

He looked at her expectantly.

Jane smirked. She suddenly felt naughty…though she couldn't fathom why.

She wrapped her fingers around the apple…its sheen reflecting the starlight.

She looked at it quizzically a moment, fully savoring exactly what it was she was about to commit to.

Jane Foster looked up at Loki. His face betrayed little emotion. He merely watched her and her every movement.

She brought the fruit to her mouth, and bit into its soft skin.

And she was filled with a song, and her skin felt on fire, and her eyes closed as she chewed, and the juice of the thing mingled with her own moisture, and it created a dance of delight…sweet, and sad, and somewhat forlorn, for there was loss just as there was birth. A bitterness was tasted, but soon left…and she opened her eyes to find him smiling at her.

He took her hand and brought her back to their chamber…

"How do you feel?"

"Like…I'm aware…alive…new…but the same…" she paused. She thought of Spider Man and how he had felt after being bit by that spider…

He laughed. "Excellent."

And he grabbed her, bringing her to bed to enjoy her newfound immortal body as he had longed to for many weeks now…


	14. Chapter 14

When he was a child, many centuries ago now, he would gaze at the sky in Asgard, and imagine that someone in the vastness of space would see him, hear his pleas for a friend. Though he loved his brother, his mother, he hadn't the luxury of a friend…someone to confide in without the stain of comparison. He would think, surely, somewhere, someone, would see him for more than Thor's brother. Someone would recognize that he was more than someone to be feared.

_"__Some day, my son, someone will enjoy them just as much…"_

He recalled Frigga's words regarding his tricks.

And he thought of Jane's amazement when he performed his magic.

"Well, Loki…tomorrow is the big day, then."

Loki turned to Thor. "Well done, brother. Your penchant for stating the obvious never fails to amaze me."

"Come, brother, let us toast your day!" and Thor went over to the drinks on the table in the dining hall.

"It is not my day yet Thor, as you've just aptly observed," and Loki accepted the proffered drink. "Do you plan on being inebriated for days on end?"

"Yes! Tis a celebration! One, I might add, I did not think I'd live to see…"

"Nor I…though I admit, I did not believe that I'd witness your marriage either. Not unless you clubbed some poor wretch, dragging her down the aisle."

Thor laughed. "Any number of very fine women would have consented to marrying me, Loki. This you know well."

Loki downed his libation. "I know nothing of the sort. In fact, what I do know on the subject is that I may owe Sif some payment, for taking you off of my hands."

"YOUR hands?! Payment? Brother…how very funny you are."

Loki began to take his leave. "At long last, Thor…after too many centuries…you have learned to laugh at my humor. Pity it comes on the heels of my nuptials…" he paused. "Only this time, I wasn't joking…" he winked and left a slightly bemused Thor in his wake.

* * *

"I dunno…these aren't really my style, Sif," Jane was with Sif and the royal seamstresses. "I prefer something more…simple. Something a bit more…elegant…?"

The day before her wedding, Jane Foster was attempting to find herself a dress. It was after many hours of Sif's insistence that they go, for as the Queen observed, Jane couldn't wait forever. "Lady Jane, I've never known a woman such as yourself in my life," observed Queen Sif. "How can you not enjoy formal attire?"

"Because it's uncomfortable and restrictive."

"Battle gear, then?"

"If I could…" replied Jane.

Sif laughed. "What about a violet dress…?" and Sif found one, tucked away behind many others. "I know that Loki loves that color on you."

Jane went over to where Sif was, and looked at the garment. It appeared to be older than the others…it was a deep color…not quite violet…it had a mauve hue to it, but hardly imposing. It was a flowing thing, it appeared slightly regal, and had tiny white flowers along its plunging neckline. Jane smiled and nodded.

She had it fitted. She was rather happy it wasn't white, and that she didn't have an original tailored for her. She liked the idea of using a dress in stores of Frigga.

Jane wasn't as nervous as she had imagined she would be. She had written her own vows, as had Loki, and they would have Thor and Sif bless them. She would then sit on the throne and be crowned Queen. She rather wished that Odin were still here so that he could perform the ceremony, but it was useless dwelling on it.

She and Loki would sleep separately tonight…on Jane's insistence. She wanted to hold onto something from the ceremony on Earth.

"Lady, your guests are here…" came a voice from behind her in Loki's garden.

And Darcy and Erik entered.

Jane threw her arms around them.

"Jesus, Jane. You are positively glowing! You got a bun in the oven?" asked Darcy.

"Ah…no. That's the glow of immortality," replied Jane.

"Huh. Who would've known that immortality was good for the complexion?"

"Janie…so good to see you," and Erik kissed her cheek.

Jane smiled. "So…since you guys are like, my only guests, you get awesome rooms and front row seats."

And she led them into the palace.

"You know your way through this place, Jane? It's fucking enormous," observed Darcy.

"Yeah, it's pretty big…and I still sometimes get lost…" she giggled a bit.

The pair got settled, and met Jane a bit later for dinner.

"Where's your fiancé?" asked Erik.

"He and I aren't seeing one another at all today. It was a silly sentimental request on my part. It just felt like it would…I dunno…make the actual ceremony more special or something."

"That's weird," said Darcy.

"Well, maybe. But we are practically married as it is. I just didn't want it to be anticlimactic."

"Jane. You are marrying a fucking GOD. Everything will be anticlimactic from now on."

Jane laughed. "Is he a god? I never did ask…"

"What do you mean? You don't even know what the hell you are marrying? You've been away from me for too long," and Darcy took a sip of wine.

"Yes…of course I know…but I mean…like, technically speaking…"

Erik shook his head. "I think that you should probably just call him a god for simplicity sake. Besides, he has an ego, right? I think he'd like to be referred to as a god."

Jane decided not to argue the point, since she didn't want anything about these next couple of days tense or ruined.

* * *

She awoke in a start. She sat up and looked around.

This wasn't her room. Her bed was empty.

Jane then recalled that it was her wedding day, and that she was in another room, per her insistence.

She couldn't remember her dream…but it left her hollow.

She decided to get up.

Jane wrapped herself in a robe and went to the door.

Her feet padded on the marble of the floors, and she sauntered, not really knowing where she was going.

Not outside…it would be cold.

Library…Jane thought…maybe she could read…perhaps somehow ascertain the time.

She opened the prodigious wooden door and went inside.

A fire glowed in the hollow.

She walked over to it, reveling in its warmth.

She smiled and turned toward the thousands of books on the shelves.

And there, standing at the window, watching her, was Loki.

She started.

A thin breath escaped her lips.

She smiled at him.

He came over to her and seized her immediately, kissing her hungrily and running his hands over her. Jane returned it, feeling as though she hadn't seen him or felt him in weeks and weeks, though it had been less than twenty four hours.

His mouth was over her neck, his tongue tracing her jaw…and she let out a soft moan in response.

He began to lead her to the sofa in front of the fire, his tall frame no match for her.

Her breath was heavy, as her hands caressed his back, falling downward, and she pulled him on top of her. He tore her robe from her unceremoniously.

She should stop this…it was ruining her silly scheme.

"Loki…" she whispered. "I think…"

"Stop thinking immediately," he said into her breast.

She laughed. "No…I really think that we should wait…just until tonight…"

He sat up, his hair in his face.

"I'm sorry. I'm not teasing you…I just…." she felt embarrassed. She shrugged.

Loki pushed his mass of hair out of his line of vision. "I understand…I was just…" and he had a far away look on his face, as if deep in thought. "I wasn't certain that you were real when you first entered the room… and I suppose… even though it hasn't been all that long…I suppose I seized upon the moment…and then it WAS actually you…" he grinned.

Jane's discomfort was profound. How silly she felt! She shook her head, rubbing her face. She wanted him, right there, right now, and they were engaged, and had been together already countless wonderful times…

She straddled his lap, kissed him deeply, and pulled her nightgown over her head.

Loki's eyes widened, his hands on her breasts. "Are you sure, Jane? Is it not important to you to wait until we are wed?"

"In my mind, we already are," she kissed him again, then pulled back a centimeter. "I love you."

And they made love, and then Jane went back to her room, for though she had just broken a promise to herself, she wouldn't do further damage by having him see her in her dress before she met him in the entrance to the throne room.

* * *

Jane longed for Sif's assistance, but she too was getting ready, and couldn't attend to her. The attendants were helping her with her dress (it fit beautifully), her hair (piled high atop her head, with tiny white flowers pinned in it), and her makeup (though this was applied conservatively, and with a bit of Asgard magic).

Jane procured her necklace, a bit ruddy with the stain of Loki's blood, but she liked that it had this mark. She wondered if that made her morbid or ridiculously and absurdly sentimental.

She put it on, and looked in the glass.

Jane Foster did look somewhat different, and her costume enhanced those slight differences. She was lighter…her hair was somewhat lighter than the chestnut brown she was accustomed to, her eyes not quite so the color of coffee, more like a latte now, and she laughed…her skin a hue more pale. This was what the apple had done, and Loki said that the alterations were permeant, albeit complete. No further metamorphosis of her physical person would take place…her mind, however would forever register memories a bit differently. Jane wasn't sure she knew what that meant, and he caused her disquiet.

She wouldn't think on that now.

Her dress was antique-looking. A bit Grecian, to be frank. It hit her ankles, it flowed with grace, it gathered at her waist with the tiny white flowers that fed the neckline. She thought that she looked very fine.

She took a slip of paper with her vows written on it, and went to the door.

Jane Foster, these are your final moments with your last name.

_Mom, Dad. I wish that you were here. I wish that you had the chance to meet him. I wish that you knew me now. I'd like to think that you'd be proud. _

_I'm scared, but I'm also excited…and I miss you both so very, very much._

"It's time, my Lady…" and she was led from the room.

Her fingers were intertwined, curling nervously around themselves. She swallowed repeatedly.

She descended the stairs, and saw Loki alone outside the doorway of the throne room, looking inside at the throng.

He heard her, and he turned.

The first thing that she noticed was that his hair was shorter.

The next was that he was in mostly black armor (she noted that he was almost always in black, with green accentuating his clothes instead of dominating them).

And finally, that he was nervous. His smile halting.

She went to him, taking his arm. "Well, my King. Your hair is shorter."

He laughed and touched it with his right hand. "Just a touch…Sif insisted that she do it. She said that it had needed doing for years, and that she fancied I looked better with an inch or two off…" he watched her expectantly, as though waiting for criticism.

Jane examined it with false concern. "I dunno…you look fine either way."

He nodded.

Opulent music filled their ears.

"Ready?' he asked.

She breathed deeply. "Ready," Jane replied, and they entered the hall.

* * *

Loki didn't notice much as he walked down the center of the room with Jane at his side. He approached the dais where his brother stood, Sif sitting behind him on her throne.

His brother. Loki loved him so.

Thor smiled widely. "Asgard! We are here to join our King to his Lady. She and he braved Helheim to make her an Aesir, and for that deed, as well as her being his choice, we welcome their union!"

Mutterings of ascent.

"King Loki of Asgard, do you accept this Lady as your joined wife?"

"Yes."

"Will you maintain her honor and dignity fit for both her station and yours?"

"Yes."

"Will you remain faithful to her and only her, giving your love to her alone, until your final trip to Valhalla?"

"Yes. Yes, I shall," and he smiled a watery smile at Jane.

Thor turned toward Jane.

"Lady Jane of Midgard, do accept this man, the King, as your husband?"

"Yes. With all my heart."

"Will you maintain his honor and dignity fit for both his station and yours?"

"Yes."

"Will you remain faithful to him and only him, giving your love to him alone, until your final trip to Valhalla?"

"Yes."

Thor smiled. "The couple has written their vows. My Lady, would you care to start?"

Jane's breath faltered, and she pulled the paper out of a makeshift pocket the seamstress had seen to for this purpose.

"My dearest Loki," and she looked up at him. He watched her intently. Her eyes turned back to the paper. "I promise that I will never doubt you or your love. I promise that I will always do everything that I can to ensure our happiness. I promise to walk with you in your garden, to read with you in the library, or our rooms…to sing with you when you feel a song, to dance when you desire it, to hold your hand when you are ill, and to be your friend when you need comfort. And I promise to love you as much as my heart can withstand," she stopped.

She looked at him.

Tears were flowing down his face.

Jane smiled, looked at Thor.

The Thunder God had succumbed to the emotion of the moment as well.

Shit, Jane. She hadn't meant everyone to cry.

"Um…" and she giggled.

Loki let go of a breath he had been holding, gently laid his hands on Jane's shoulders, and leaned down, kissing her softly on her mouth.

Thor interjected. "Not so fast, brother…you still have your promises to make…" and he wiped his face.

Loki pulled away and wiped his own face with the palm of his hands. "Thank you, Thor. It does my mind a great service to know I always have you to remind me of things such as reciting my wedding vows. Do next time we are at council, remind me of my name."

"Shut up Loki," said Thor.

Jane laughed soundly.

Then she turned quite serious, for Loki's hand had reached into his pocket for his own vows.

His hand shook ever so slightly.

"Jane Foster. I am sorry that I never knew those people who had gifted me with your life. I am sorry that it took me so long to accept that I am worthy of your love. But then, it is in the journey that we gain understanding.

In all that trips along the many paths we encounter, in the sprawling affect of experience in the singularity of time, I traversed a mean passage, wrought with much pain and blind emotion. And somehow, in the midst of that, I discovered an effulgent fairy. She was wise and true, and touched by me, by fair means or foul.

It is because of you, Jane Foster, that I am where I am, who I am, and how I am.

And so, I offer these promises to you:

I promise to value you, as a blossom values the sun.

I promise to care for you, as a bird cares for flight.

I promise to drink in your presence, as though I wandered for ceaseless days in your Midgard desert so pale.

I promise to hold you, as fast as a vice, but tender as though you were a most precious thing, delicate and soft.

And I promise you my love, as much as I can offer, it burns with the heat of a star newborn, but with the ferocity and desperation of its death, fearful of extinguishing," and he looked at her. "But it shall not…not as long as my body holds my soul captive, my love will remain, and shall be yours endlessly."

Jane was shaking with emotion and tears flowed freely and her voice had abandoned her. "Wow," was all she could muster.

He laughed. "I shall wrench that word from your vocabulary if it is the last action I ever perform."

"You love it," Jane replied, laughing.

"I do," was his answer. He looked at his brother.

Thor nodded.

And Loki took her hand in his. He hovered his free hand over their joined ones, and his magic, a green light in the hall, fell upon them. The magic tightened around them, and Thor stepped forward.

"They are now one. Let all in this chamber bare witness to the joining of Loki Odinson and Jane Odinsdaughter!"

Without releasing her hand, he pulled her close, and kissed her soundly. Applause filled the hall, with cheering and whistles…but no music, not yet.

Jane swallowed. She was married, and now she would be crowned queen.

The Gothi stepped up to the Dias, Loki stood to the side.

"Jane Odinsdaughter,"

She nodded.

"Do you promise to, to the very best of your ability, fulfill the role of Queen of Asgard?"

"I do."

"Will you put her happiness before your own if Asgard's is in jeopardy?"

"I do."

"And will you seek the peace of Yggdrasil, to the benefit of all the nine realms?"

"I will."

Jane stood there, and took out her other piece of paper.

"Dearest Asgard, I know that I am but a recent Aesir, and that I am virgin to your many beautiful customs and culture. But I love your King, and I promise to learn from him, as well as King Thor and Queen Sif in my many years in your service," she swallowed hard.

She turned, and sat on the throne that was on the right of Loki's, if you were looking up from the audience.

And Loki placed Frigga's crown on her head.

Jane hadn't expected that, and she gasped.

Of course, SIf wears Thor's grandmother's crown. And Thor admitted that Loki was their mother's favorite.

Loki's fingers remained at her head a moment, and slid down her face.

He smiled, and sat on the throne next to her.

"Now what?" she whispered.

"Now," he returned. "We wait for the hall to empty."

"Oh. Do we get to go back to our chambers…? Like Thor and Sif?" she was expectant.

He turned to her and curled a smile. "You are eager, my Queen."

That sounded weird. "Well…I thought it was strange when they left right after the ceremony…"

"Yes…I suppose…but unfortunately for us, you have just been crowned Queen, so the Aesir are expecting us…we shall need a wait a bit longer before we return to our chambers…"

"Ah," was Queen Jane's reply.

The Throne Room emptied out, and the foursome then got up and followed the throng.

Jane was greeted by the Aesir warmly, and she was soon enclosed in a circle of well wishes and happy faces.

Loki retreated back, allowing her to revel in the attention.

Thor approached him, smiling and holding two glasses of wine.

Loki smiled. "Well, Thor, I daresay I haven't seen you without a drink in your hands for the past few days."

"It is in every way wonderful, brother…I'm merely enjoying the atmosphere."

And they both took a healthy drought of wine. Thor continued, "I am exceedingly proud of you, Loki. You are a worthy King. And you behaved admirably in Helheim…you continue to astonish me in your rule."

"My rule extends, then, beyond the borders of Asgard…I suppose, in my fancy, that the whole of Yggdrasil is in our charge, however arrogant that may seem."

"A King of infinite space, if you will," replied Thor.

"I like the sound of that."

"You would."

They laughed.

Thor continued, "She is a very fine lady."

"Indeed."

"We are fortunate."

"Very."

"Sif is expecting," and he looked at Loki.

Loki turned toward his brother. "Thor! That is great news, indeed!"

"It is…but I will need your help…" he looked uncertain.

"You will always have it," and he embraced his brother.

* * *

Many hours later, Jane was more than tired, she left the hall. She never knew if she was claustrophobic or something else unnamable.

She had danced with Thor, with Erik, and countless others.

She had shared one dance with her husband.

She was dizzy with drink.

She had met more people than she cared to think about.

Her Aesir body, though more vital, was not immune to fatigue.

Jane took her hair down and removed her shoes. She moved along the outside of the palace, music still playing, but the crowd considerably thinner.

Jane made her way along, and discovered a small annex, stone, quiet. It was still outside, but archways adorned the perimeter.

Her fingers grazed along the stone.

Her new home.

Jane turned round and round, in a simple dance in the moonlight.

She was free, she was happy, and everything was going to be alright.

She was suddenly overtaken with a desire to run. And she did, expending some energy and went up into the garden…Loki's garden.

And there he was, gazing upward to the heavens' arch of elegance.

No words were spoken, she went to him hurriedly, and threw herself into his arms, kissing him and tumbling into the grass.

Loki magicked off their clothes, and in a hunger heretofore pale, they ravished one another in gleeful appetite.

Husband and wife, King and Queen, laid wrapped in one another's embrace under the Asgardian night sky. Loki had summoned a blanket, and they huddled against one another.

* * *

….and the years saw children (two, a boy and a girl), both a delight to their parents…and the Aesir knew mostly peace, and Yggdrasil knew mostly growth, and Jane cried at the death of Erik, for he didn't visit as much as she would have liked…but the love between the pair never waned, not even slightly, but rather, it grew with age…and the sky held its color, and the gem at Jane's breast held its coruscate, and Loki wrote his poetry, and his rule was wise.

And Jane thought how very fortuitous it all was, and in her many many years, she never once regretted Thor's anger or rashness that time on Earth, for it was that which was the means for her finding herself.

_An overdue Author's Note:_

_Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! I absolutely love this Loki and Jane...though they are, admittedly, a touch OOC. Thanks especially to odinstatter9 and jeadamized...you guys keep me right and your encouragement always inspires me. This has been a wonderful ride! Thank you!_


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